


I've Got it Bad, Got it Bad, Got it Bad

by RedRidingStiles



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire (Teen Wolf), Alternate Universe - No Werewolves, Beacon Hills Lacrosse Team, Books, Clubbing, Coffee Shops, Cora Hale & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Dating Kate Argent/Derek Hale, Dead Talia Hale, Denial of Feelings, Derek Hale is a Softie, Developing Friendships, Drag Queens, Drinking Games, Drunk Dancing, Epic Friendship, Epilogue, Falling In Love, Feels, Flirting, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Gay Stiles Stilinski, Graduation, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Heavy Angst, Lacrosse Player Stiles Stilinski, Laura Hale & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Lydia Martin & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Meddling, Mexico, Minor Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Minor Cora Hale/Isaac Lahey, Minor Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt, Minor Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Minor Lydia Martin/Jordan Parrish, Minor Malia Tate/Kira Yukimura, Minor Stiles Stilinski/Original Male Character(s), Minor Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes, Past Jennifer Blake/Derek Hale, Pining, Shopping, Sleepovers, Slow Build Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Spring Break, Stiles Stilinski Has a Crush on Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski is Seventeen Years Old, Swimming Pools, Talking, Teacher Derek Hale, Teacher-Student Relationship, Texting, Underage Drinking, Waiting, quotes, the slowest of slow burns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-12 12:18:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 47,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17467406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRidingStiles/pseuds/RedRidingStiles
Summary: “Woah are those real?” Stiles found himself saying as he reached out and squeezed the man’s (it was a man and not a brick wall Stiles’ brain supplies) bicep which was bulging under the guy’s shirt. Stiles hasn’t even looked at the man’s face too preoccupied gasping at the tone muscles in front of him.“Something tells me you’re the infamous Stiles.”“Stiles, yes that’s my name, well it’s not really my name that’s too hard for anyone to pronounce so it’s just Stiles. Or you know, some colorful names the lower IQs of this place like to make up. But Stiles, you can call me Stiles.” Stiles rambles on, watching the man try to suppress a grin and failing. He has a gorgeous smile that made his bunny teeth present and his eyes crinkle and Stiles thinks he might be a little bit in love.“Nice to meet you Stiles, why don’t you take a seat.” The man, Stiles doesn’t even know his name and he’s already starting to plan their wedding, says with a nod to the already full classroom. Stiles hasn’t even heard the bell ring. Huh.“But I didn’t get your name,” Stiles replies.“Mr. Hale, I’m your new English teacher.”Fuck.





	1. Part 1

Stiles follows Scott down the hallway of Beacon Hills High with a spring in his step. It was the first day of their senior year and Stiles had everything planned out. He was going to make first line on the lacrosse team, make sure Scott passed with flying colors, hang out with Lydia more so when they go to MIT together they’ll be best friends, and lose his virginity before the year was up. It was a plan, a very good plan up until he walked into his English class.

To be fair Stiles wasn’t looking where he was going, he was just sort of walking with his head in the clouds thinking of The Plan and how to get Lydia to have lunch with him without Scott’s influence and just sort of ran right into a brick wall. Well, a very muscular brick wall wearing a tight white button down and black slacks. Stiles didn’t know brick walls had such fashion sense.

“Woah are those real?” Stiles found himself saying as he reached out and squeezed the man’s (it was a man and not a brick wall Stiles’ brain supplies) bicep which was bulging under the guy’s shirt. Stiles hasn’t even looked at the man’s face too preoccupied gasping at the tone muscles in front of him.

“Something tells me you’re the infamous Stiles.”

Stiles looks up at the words prepared to make a snarky comeback only to lose the ability to speak because hot damn. If he thought the guy’s body was nice his face looked like it was crafted by the Gods themselves. He had a face full of stubble that Stiles wanted to feel scratch against his skin, blue-green-gray eyes that were underneath the bushiest well-maintained eyebrows Stiles had ever seen. His hair was jet black and gelled up carelessly and he had cute little bunny teeth behind his pink lips. Stiles wants to lick him, like all over.

“Stiles, yes that’s my name, well it’s not really my name that’s too hard for anyone to pronounce so it’s just Stiles. Or you know, some colorful names the lower IQs of this place like to make up. But Stiles, you can call me Stiles.” Stiles rambles on, watching the man try to suppress a grin and failing. He has a gorgeous smile that made his bunny teeth present and his eyes crinkle and Stiles thinks he might be a little bit in love.

“Nice to meet you Stiles, why don’t you take a seat.” The man, Stiles doesn’t even know his name and he’s already starting to plan their wedding, says with a nod to the already full classroom. Stiles hasn’t even heard the bell ring. Huh.

“But I didn’t get your name,” Stiles replies.

“Mr. Hale, I’m your new English teacher.”

Fuck.

 

***

 

Stiles would be lying if he said he hadn’t found out everything there is to know about Mr. Hale. After the first day Stiles had hacked into the police database and found out his full name, Derek Hale, and that he had a sealed juvenile arrest record. With the help of a little too eager Danny they found out he was 26 years old and when he was 16 his parents had died in a car accident. He had two sisters, Laura and Cora, the latter of which was in their grade. Stiles had stalked Laura on Facebook and learned she was a lawyer who lived in New York where the siblings had lived since the accident, she had lots of photos of a grumpy looking Derek and a moody Cora on her wall (Stiles did not save any of those pictures to his phone, that would be weird). Derek didn’t have a Facebook and neither did Cora so Stiles was forced to do his digging elsewhere.

“I’m just saying we should invite her to sit with us, she’s new and it always sucks being the new kid,” Stiles comments over lunch, Scott and Allison were barely paying attention too wrapped up in each other but Lydia was looking at him with those piercing green eyes. Danny (who knew too much damn it) was hiding a smirk behind his apple as Stiles spoke.

“She seems nice, and I know you, Lydia, you want to take her wardrobe hostage and make her go shopping with you.”

“She does need a makeover, I mean those shoes with that shirt. She needs me.” Lydia hums, flipping her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder. Stiles tried not to fist pump the air, Lydia was in.

“Fine, let's go make friends.” Lydia declares standing up from her seat, she smoothed her skirt down as Stiles stumbles to his feet. The two of them made their way across the cafeteria where Cora was sitting by herself, a book in her hand and her lunch barely touched.

“Hello, Cora isn’t it? I’m Lydia and this is Stiles, but I’m sure you already knew that. May we sit?” Lydia greets the girl, already sliding onto the bench. “So where are you from?”

“New York,” Cora replies shortly, her eyes still on her book.

“Mmh, and you still dress like that?”

“ _Lydia_ ,” Stiles hisses at the girl, getting a perfectly sculpted eyebrow raise in return.

“And what’s wrong with how I dress?” Cora asks, a hint of a smirk on her face.

“Nothing! There’s nothing wrong with how you dress, I love the plaid, I’m a big fan of plaid. You look awesome, totally cute.” Stiles is quick to say, they’re supposed to be making friends with her not insulting her fashion choices.

“Okay, I see your point.” Cora sighs to Lydia who was grinning wide.

“Good, so we’ll go shopping tomorrow and I’ll pick you out some more tasteful outfits,” Lydia states as she pulls out her phone. “Put your number in, we’ll pick you up at 10.”

“10? Lydia it's a Saturday no one should be up that early.” Stiles whines, shutting up quickly when the girl glared at him.

“You’re getting new clothes too, we need to be there early. I have a lot of work cut out for me.”

“But I like my-“

“Don’t start with me Stiles. I’ll see you at a quarter to 10, you’re driving.”

 

 

***

 

 

“Who’s dying? You’re never up this early.” John jokes as Stiles comes into the kitchen at 8:30 the next morning, his eyes barely open as he heads straight for the coffee pot.

“Only my identity, Lydia is making me go buy new clothes with her and Cora,” Stiles mumbles as he pours himself a cup of coffee.

“Who’s Cora?” The Sheriff asks, smiling as Stiles inhales half the cup in one go.

“She just moved here I told Lydia we should invite her to lunch and she took that as code for a shopping trip,” Stiles sighs as he runs a hand through his unruly hair. He needed to shower and get dressed before he went to pick up the girls.

“Well, that was nice of you, glad to see you’re making friends.” John nods from his spot at the kitchen table.

“Yeah she seems cool,” Stiles shrugs, not wanting to tell his dad that he was befriending her in hopes of learning more about Mr. Hale.

“Well have a good time, I’ll leave you some money before I head out for work. Tell Lydia I said hello.”

“Will do daddio, and thanks I have a feeling she’s going to try and make me throw out my whole closet.” Stiles groans, shaking his head at his own words as he finishes off his coffee. “I’m gonna shower, I’ll talk to you later, hope work goes okay.”

“Alright son, have fun.” John responses, patting his son on the shoulder as he stands up to put his empty plate in the sink.

Stiles takes a long shower, still trying to wake up as the hot spray hits him, washing his hair and body quickly before getting out to find himself some clothes. He tries to pick out something that Lydia would approve of, finding a white and blue half sleeved shirt buried in the back of his closet and a pair of black jeans he’s worn all of once before. Once he's dressed he looks himself over in the mirror, the shirt fits him nicely hugging his arms and showing off his broad shoulder. The jeans are tight and hug his ass well, Stiles tries to fix his hair but after ten minutes of attempting to style it he ends up throwing a black Mets baseball cap on. Stiles is pretty proud of himself, he looks good, Lydia will be proud.

He leaves the house after shoving a bagel into his mouth and grabbing the cash his dad left for him, getting in his jeep and making his way over to Lydia’s house. Stiles goes up to the door and knocks like a gentleman, knowing if he would have just texted Lydia she would take longer out of spite.

“Hmm, not bad, I’m still picking out clothes for you though,” Lydia says when she opens the door, taking in Stiles’ outfit with a small smile.

“Wouldn’t dream of taking the privilege away from you, you look stunning as always.” Stiles grins at her as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. She was in a navy blue pencil skirt with a white blouse and black wedges. Her hair falling in loose curls around her face.

“Obviously,” Lydia hums, grabbing her purse and closing the door behind her. She fixes Stiles with a calculated look before reaching out and turning his hat backward. “Perfect, let's go I haven’t heard from Cora yet.”

Stiles nods and opens the passenger's door for her before getting into the driver’s seat, listening to Lydia’s directions on how to get to Cora’s house. Lydia texted Cora as they pulled up to the house in the preserve. It was a nice house, pale blue with a wrap around porch and a shiny black Camaro parked in the driveway.

“She’s not answering,” Lydia huffs at her phone.

“I’ll go knock and see if she’s up,” Stiles offers already opening his door to get out. He skips up the steps and rasps his knuckles against the white painted door, shoving his hands in his pockets as he waits for someone to answer.

“Stiles? What are you doing here?” Mr. Hale asks in surprise when he opens the door. Stiles brain may have short-circuited upon seeing the man. Stiles really should have prepared himself for this, but to be fair he never expected _this_. Mr. Hale was wearing a pair of black basketball shorts and no shirt. There is sweat dripping down his incredibly toned chest and Stiles really needed to stop staring, like right now.

“Cora! Cora is shopping-shit-no-she’s going shopping. With me, and Lydia. Yah we’re having a day of torture, well torture for Cora and I. Lydia is going to enjoy it, she’s been trying to get me to play dress up for her since sophomore year. Cora got dragged into it because I told her plaid was cute on her, not that I think your sister is cute! I mean I do! She’s gorgeous but not my type! Nope missing some vital parts of the anatomy that is very much my type-fuck-is she up?” Stiles rants as his cheeks heat up, God he was making a fool of himself in front of Mr. Hale, a shirtless sweaty Mr. Hale who was laughing softly at him.

“It’s okay Stiles, calm down. She told me about the girl’s day she was having I just didn’t know that included you. I’m not sure if she’s up yet, I was in the basement working out but you’re free to come in while I check.” Mr. Hale replies with a smile, opening the door wider for Stiles to enter.

“Yeah I’m like an honorary girl in Lydia’s eyes, tried to fight it but she threatened to sabotage my baby so-” Stiles cut himself off before he continues talking, not wanting to make an even bigger fool of himself.

“Your baby?” Mr. Hale questions as he made his way to the staircase leading to the second floor, Stiles following along behind him, definitely not checking out his ass. Nope.

“My jeep, she’s my pride and joy.”

“Cute,” Mr. Hale mutters softly. “Cora! Stiles is here for you!” Derek yells up the stairs.

“I’ll be down in a minute!” Cora shouts back down.

“So do you like Beacon Hills? There’s not much but there’s a great diner downtown if you like milkshakes or curly fries they have awesome curly fries.”

“It’s nice, a lot different than the city but I like that it’s quiet. The diner sounds cool, I’ll have to check it out sometime.” Mr. Hale informs, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. It was a very nice chest, and arms, and delicious looking abs. Stiles had to remind himself not to drool or do something ridiculous like drop to his knees.

“Cool, yeah you should definitely do that, I don’t get to go much because my dad needs to eat healthier so I try to keep him away from the fried stuff. He tries to sneak it at work but I have like four deputies watching him for me, probably isn’t very ethical to bribe police officers but it’s for a good cause.”

“Your dad’s the Sheriff isn’t he?” Mr. Hale asks, tilting his head to the side.

“Best Sheriff this town has ever seen, even with a troublemaker son. He says I’m too smart for my own good but I think he’s just mad that I memorized the scanner codes and look through his case files when he’s not around. Fuck, I mean I totally don’t do that, nope because that would be illegal and I’m an outstanding citizen who is a great influence on your sister.”

“Sure you are Stiles,” Mr. Hale chuckles lightly just before Cora comes bouncing down the stairs. She wearing combat boots with jeans tucked in the tops, a black tank top with a brown leather jacket over it.

“Alright, I’m ready. Der, can I have some money?”

“Sure, give me a sec,” Mr. Hale mutters, pushing off the wall and heading to the kitchen.

“I like the jacket, very badass.” Stiles nods to the girl, getting an eye roll in response.

“Nice hat, frat boy,” Cora snorts flicking the cap with a smirk.

“That makes me sound like a douche,” Stiles whines to the girl, making her snicker as Mr. Hale comes back into the room with a credit card in his hand.

“Don’t go overboard with this,” Mr. Hale warns as he hands the card off to his sister.

“Um, you should know that’s a very real danger when Lydia is involved,” Stiles tells the man as Cora stuffs the card into her phone case.

“It will be fine, let's go,” Cora says as she grabs Stiles by the hand and starts dragging him to the door. “Bye Der!”

“Bye Mr. Hale!” Stiles calls out as Mr. Hale waves them off. Stiles caught the man waving with a smile on his face. Stiles really wanted to say fuck the shopping trip and see if Mr. Hale would let Stiles join him in his work out. He did need to get in better shape for lacrosse, the view would just be a plus.

“What took so long?” Lydia huffs as they climb into the car.

“Overslept, it’s Saturday.”

Stiles thinks this is a start to a beautiful friendship.

 

 

***

 

 

The three of them spend almost all day at the mall, Lydia dragging them through every store she deems worthy and making them put on a fashion show for her in the dressing room. Cora ends up with six bags full of new clothes, shoes, and accessories most of which she seemed happy with while Stiles had four of his own bags filled with outfits Lydia had forced him to buy. He wouldn’t admit it to the redhead but he was actually excited to wear some of them, she had done a good job. They grabbed an incredibly late lunch in the food court after Stiles announced he was going to die if he didn’t get food soon. Lydia started quizzing Cora about her life in New York and why she and Mr. Hale had moved here as soon as they had sat down.

“Der had a bad break up, they were together almost two years and the bitch was cheating on him for half of it. He wanted a fresh start and I didn’t want him to be alone so I came out with him instead of staying with my sister Laura.” Cora explains with a shrug as she picks at her orange chicken. Stiles had the urge to track down this woman and make her life a living hell, how could anyone cheat on someone like Mr. Hale?

“Wait, he’s not gay?” Lydia asks with a frown, Stiles tried not to let his expression change, he didn’t want either of them to think he was too invested in the conversation.

“He’s bi, but why do you ask?” Cora frowns, Stiles could kiss them both with all the information he was getting, he had a shot is Mr. Hale was bisexual.

“My gaydar went off the moment I met him,” Lydia replies as she stabs a tomato onto her fork.

“The eyebrows?” Stiles guesses.

“Just like Jackson, you don’t pay that much attention to your appearance without reason.” Lydia nods in confirmation.

“Who’s Jackson?” Cora questions, her own eyebrows drawn down in confusion.

“Lydia’s ex-boyfriend who got shipped off to London by his parents when he started having an identity crisis.” Stiles supplies, shaking his head at his own words. Jackson’s parents were idiots who didn’t know how to help their own kid when he needed them.

“I talked to him last week, he’s got a nice boyfriend now, Ethan, apparently he has a twin named Aidan. Told him he’d have to bring both with him when he comes to visit over Christmas.” Lydia says with a small smirk, Stiles can tell she already has a plan to wrap Aidan around her little finger.

“What about you Cora? Anyone special in your life?” Stiles questions the brunette.

“Haven’t dated in a while, there’s a guy in my history class that’s pretty cute though. I don’t think he’s noticed me, he seems kinda shy.”

“What’s his name?” Lydia asks, Stiles can see the gears turning in her pretty brain on how to set the two teens up.

“Isaac, tall with curly hair, puppy dog eyes.”

“Lahey? Yah he’s had a pretty fucked up life, dad abused him until he drank himself to death. He’s living with one of my dad’s deputies.” Stiles responds, he remembered his dad getting a call one night and bringing the terrified boy back to stay with them for a few days. Isaac was supposed to go into foster care but a deputy, Boyd, and his wife Erica had taken the teen in. Stiles still talked to Isaac but the two of them butted heads a lot.

“We can introduce you, we could have a little party at your place so you two can get to know each other.” Lydia offers, Stiles knew if the party was at Lydia’s it would be anything but small and Isaac would never agree to come. He’s not surprised the redhead suggested to have it at Cora’s.

“I don’t know if Der would like that,” Cora admits, biting her bottom lip at the thought.

“Well let’s go convince him then,” Lydia smirks as she stands up from her seat, waving the two up to follow her. Stiles could kiss her honestly, this was going better than he ever expected.

 

 

***

 

 

“Hey Der I’m home,” Cora calls out as she opens the front door, Stiles and Lydia on here heels carrying some of her bags for her. Cora leads them up the staircase and into her bedroom, having them drop the bags on the hastily made bed, Lydia going straight to the closet to inspect the other girl’s wardrobe.

“Hey did you have fun?” Stiles looks up to see Mr. Hale leaning in the doorway, his basketball shorts still on and a tank top covering his chest. Stiles wasn’t sure if he should be disappointed or not, on one hand, no shirtless Mr. Hale, on the other maybe Stiles wouldn’t ramble like an idiot.

“Yah we did, Lydia picked out some really nice clothes for Stiles and me.” Cora nods, Stiles smiles at the openly happy look on the girl’s face, even if he had wanted to be friends with her to learn more about Mr. Hale he had to admit she was a fun person to have around and he was happy they were friends now.

“Any special reason?” Derek asks, taking the credit card that Cora offers him with a nod.

“Does anyone need an excuse to look fabulous?” Lydia questions as she flicks through Cora’s clothes with calculating eyes, Stiles is surprised she hasn’t started ripping things off the hangers into a throwaway pile. “But say there was a reason for these two to show off my excellent taste, it’s not like we have anywhere to go besides school. It’s a shame really.”

“And Cora’s new to the school, she hasn’t had the chance to meet many people yet. I mean most of the people in our grade have been friends since we were in kindergarten so it’s hard to find a group that will open up.” Stiles adds in, already knowing where Lydia was going.

“Not everyone is as nice as Stiles and I, but we do have some pull around the school. I’m sure if there was a get-together or party the two of us could introduce her to all the right people.” Lydia remarks offhandedly, her green eyes flickering to Mr. Hale once before going back to her task. Stiles took his hat off to run his fingers through his hair, his head ducked down to hid his smirk at the thoughtful look on Mr. Hale’s face, he knew they had caught his attention. They just needed to give him a little push.

“It’s been hard since when we moved, leaving my friends behind. It’d be nice to get to know some more people.” Cora mutters as she looks up at her brother with sad eyes. Stiles and Lydia exchanged a look knowing they had him now.

“Why don’t you invite some people over next weekend, not too many, but it would be good for you to make some more friends,” Derek tells his sister, her face lighting up as she bounces over to hug him.

“Thank you, Der,”

“We’ll keep the guest list short, it’s not like there is a lot of people worth our time in that school anyway.” Lydia hums as she pulls a tight-fitting blue crop top from its hanger. “Can I borrow this?”

“Sure,” Cora nods as she moves to sit next to Stiles on the bed.

“I’ll leave you guys to it.” Mr. Hale smiles before backing out of the room, Stiles wishes he would have stayed but he knew Lydia would want to discuss details of the party.

“Oh my God, that was fucking brilliant, I would have had to beg for days to get him to say yes.” Cora laughs after the door had shut.

“Stiles and I always get what we want, now, who are we inviting?” Lydia says as she pulls her blouse over her head, leaving her in a nude strapless bra so she can try on Cora’s crop top.

“Scott, Allison, and Danny of course. If we want Isaac to come we’re gonna have to invite Malia and Kira since he won’t come without them.” Stiles replies, trying to think of who else to invite.

“Don’t forget Danny’s boyfriend Brett, I’m sure he’ll bring a few friends from Davenforth with him.”

“Theo and Liam? Do you think they’ve finally gotten their shit together yet?” Stiles questions the girl as she looks herself over in the mirror.

“If they haven’t we’ll just have to play matchmaker for them as well.” Lydia declares, her attention turning to Cora. “Your closet’s not bad but if I see you wearing anything I haven’t approved beforehand I’ll burn everything I see fit. That goes for you as well Stiles.”

“Ugh, does that mean I’m gonna have to get pre-approved before I leave the house?” Stiles whines to the girl, already knowing the answer.

“Yes, you both will.” Lydia nods, glaring at them like she dares them to disagree.

“What did you drag me into?” Cora hisses at Stiles, the boy shrugs his shoulder and offers her an apologetic smile.

“A terrifyingly awesome friendship with the two smartest people in school?”

 

 

***

 

 

Monday morning started with Lydia texting him before his alarm even when off telling him to make sure he wore the outfit she had picked out and then come pick her up. Stiles groans to himself and gets up way earlier then he would have liked, but he knew better than to try and fight with Lydia. The girls had come over yesterday so Lydia could ransack Stiles’ closet, taking out anything she deemed not worthy and leaving him with significantly less plaid. Stiles took a quick shower and brushed his teeth before grabbing the outfit Lydia had chosen for him, a tight black tee with light gray skinny jeans and a black denim jacket. The redhead had vetoed half his hoodies and Stiles was still in mourning. At least he looked good, though he had still whined to the girls all afternoon. He checked himself over in the mirror, ignoring his out of control hair for today and grabbing his pair of black ray bans off his desk before heading downstairs. He skipped breakfast knowing Lydia would want to stop for her morning coffee and he could pick something up at the bakery. Stiles grabbed his backpack from the living room and headed to his jeep, sending a text to let the redhead know he would be there in ten.

Lydia was waiting by the door when he pulled up, her long hair pulled up in a loose bun, the blue crop top she had borrowed from Cora and a black pencil skirt hugging her frame and a cardigan thrown over to keep her warm in the morning air.

“Morning beautiful, looking as lovely as always.” Stiles greets as the redhead climbs into the passenger seat, setting her bag at her feet.

“Not bad yourself, now to Cora’s she waiting for us,” Lydia responds as she pulls out her phone.

“Gotcha.” Stiles nods as he puts the jeep in drive and heads out towards the preserve. The two chatted about the history test they had later on, making a bet to see who could get the higher grade as they pulled into the Hale’s driveway.

“She says she needs help picking out shoes, the ones I picked Saturday gave her blisters just walking down the stairs.” Lydia sighs as she reads the message, rolling her eyes as Stiles shuts off the car.

“Not everyone is a Goddess like you Lyds, some have to learn that beauty comes at a price,” Stiles comments as the pair make their way to the front door. Lydia doesn’t bother knocking and opens the door, walking in like she owns the place. Stiles shakes his head at the girl’s back as he follows her in, pushing his sunglasses into his hair.

“She’s lucky she has such good genes, having us in her life now is really giving her the boost she needs. She’ll be at the top of the food chain with us in no time.” Lydia states as they take the stairs up to Cora’s room, finding the girl sitting on the floor of her closet, shoes spread around her in distress. The brunette was in the dark green short-sleeved jumpsuit Lydia had forced her to buy, it was loose in the legs and had a plunging neckline that cut off just before it would be deemed inappropriate for school. Her hair was in a long french braid down her back and a small gold locket hanging around her neck.

“Damn Cora, you look fucking hot.” Stiles voices as he jumps on the bed, leaning on his side so he could watch the two girls try and find a suitable pair of shoes.

“Of course she does, we all do, you’re welcome by the way. With my help, you might just get laid sometime soon. If you weren’t so damn picky that is.” Lydia smirks back up at him, making the boy roll his eyes playfully.

“Not my fault I have a type that no one in our school fits, I have _needs_ ,” Stiles stresses the last word, making Cora snort softly as Lydia hands her a pair of black pointed toed flats to try on.

“What’s your type?” Cora questions as she slips the shoes on.

“Hot older men who can pick him up and pin him to the wall,” Lydia states, her eyes locked on the girl’s shoes in deep thought.

“Am I interrupting something?”

Stiles' eyes go wide as they jump to Mr. Hale standing in the doorway, an amused smile on his ridiculously pretty face. He was in a pair of tight black slacks with a silky wine colored button up that Stiles would really rather see on the floor. It was way too early in the morning for someone to look that good, Stiles doesn’t even think it should be legal for Mr. Hale to look so fucking attractive.

“Oh nothing much, just picking out shoes for Cora and explaining why Stiles is still a-”

“O-K thank you very much Lyds, you can kindly shut up now. Those shoes look great, gold star 10 out of 10, let's go get coffee before they get too busy.” Stiles interrupts the redhead, sending her a glare as he climbs off the bed, trying his best not to look Mr. Hale in the eye.

“Oh, Der and I usually-” Cora begins to say only for her brother to cut her off.

“It’s fine Cora, I’ll see you after school. Are you going to need a ride?”

“Fuck-oh shit-I mean-God um, do you guys usually get coffee in the morning? Are we getting in the way? You can come with us, or we can get you something while we’re there? If you want.” Stiles stammers, mentally slapping himself for that entire fucking sentence. He really needed to get a grip.

“It’s fine Stiles, really.” Mr. Hale chuckles lightly, Stiles rubs a hand over the back of his neck watching Mr. Hale’s eyes flicker to the sliver of skin that becomes visible as his shirt rides up. Stiles tried not to smirk at that, keeping his hand on his neck as Mr. Hale turns his eyes to his sister. “Do you need a ride after school?”

“Actually Stiles and I were wondering if we could come over and study after school if that was okay with you Mr. Hale,” Lydia speaks up, her knowing eyes dancing between Stiles and Mr. Hale. Stiles sent her a look telling her not to push but she ignored it. Stiles should have known better than to think his crush could go unnoticed by the redhead.

“It’s fine with me, you two are welcome anytime.” Mr. Hale smiles.

“Thank you, Mr. Hale, we’ll see you at school.” Lydia nods back as Cora grabs her bag and phone, Mr. Hale waving them off as they head to the jeep. They talk about the party on the way to the coffee shop, Lydia letting them know they would be spreading the words to the appropriate people today.

“Hey what does your brother drink?” Stiles asks Cora as they wait in line to order.

“He’s a sucker for peppermint lattes, why?” Cora counters.

“I feel bad that we whisk you away and I have him first period so I thought I’d get him something.” Stiles shrugs as they move up to the cashier. Stiles orders his own mocha with two shots of espresso and Mr. Hale’s latte, Lydia getting an Americano and Cora an iced caramel macchiato. They each picked out a muffin and Lydia paid, telling them they would take turns throughout the week since this was going to be a regular thing if she had anything to say about it. They got their coffees and set off for the school with about 20 minutes till the bell rang. Stiles parted with the two girls at his locker, grabbing his English book before making his way to Mr. Hale’s room with ten minutes to go.

“Got you an apology coffee for stealing your sister, and to warn you that it’s definitely going to happen again. Lydia and I have adopted her as our own so the three of us can assert our dominance over the school.” Stiles says as soon as he pushes into the classroom, setting the hot cup down onto Mr. Hale’s deck with a wide smile.

“Should I be worried?” Mr. Hale asks with his own small smile, picking up the cup with a small nod in thanks.

“Nah, if anything be glad that two wonderfully gifted minds have taken it upon themselves to branch out to one of the only other people in this place who can keep up with us.” Stiles shrugs as he makes his way to his seat in the second row, dropping his bag to the floor.

“And how did you know she could keep up with you?” Mr. Hale questions, taking a sip of his coffee and humming softly in approval.

“I did my research,” Stiles replies simply as the first string of students starts coming into the room. It doesn’t take long for the rest of the class to file in and the bell to ring. Stiles takes out his English notebook and a few pens, popping one in his mouth to chew on the end of it while he used the other one to write. He always found it easier to concentrate when he had something for his mouth to do other than talk. Stiles tried not to let his mind wander as Mr. Hale intrudes the book they would be reading, _The Great Gatsby_ which Stiles had read at least six times already. Mr. Hale started talking about the reading schedule and how many chapters he wanted them to read per night while Stiles doodled in his notebook, making a list off to the side of the people they were going to invite to the party and making a note to ask Lydia if they were going to sneak in some booze or not. They could probably get some vodka and tequila without Mr. Hale finding out about underage drinking happening in his house. Lydia and Stiles would just have to make sure there were enough people sober to drive home. Stiles made another note to ask Cora if Lydia and he could crash at her place so they could drink without worry, there were perks to being the gay best friend, like getting to sleep in hot girls’ beds no questions asked.

“Mr. Stilinski?”

Stiles head shot up, his pen falling from his mouth as he saw how close Mr. Hale was to him. Stiles could practically count the stubble hair, he’d rather feel it between his thighs if he was honest.

“Wh-yeah present?” Stiles babbles, covering up his notebook so Mr. Hale wouldn’t see his notes. The older man frowned at him, making Stiles’ heart hurt just a bit, Mr. Hale should definitely be smiling with his bunny teeth out and his eyes crinkling melting Stiles into a puddle of goo on the floor. Not frowning like he was disappointed, Stiles wouldn’t allow it.

“Yes, we established that at the beginning of class. Could you at least pretend to be interested in the subject?” Mr. Hale replies.

“Oh, I’m definitely...interested.” Stiles licks his lips as he holds eye contact with Mr. Hale, the kinetoscope colors drawing him in like a moth to a flame. Stiles could stare at them for years and never be able to pinpoint exactly what color they really were. Mr. Hale raised a perfect eyebrow in question, his eyes flickering to Stiles’ mouth briefly.

“I mean who doesn’t love the 1920’s? The parties were fu-freaking amazing but the real message in the book, like Gatsby worked his as-butt off to have the whole world at his fingertips and none of it matters to him because the only thing he really wants is out of his reach. Even when he gets Daisy he can’t keep her. It shatters the illusion of the American dream, Fitzgerald shows people at various stages of pursuing their dream of something and none of them are actually happy with the outcome. You’ve got a pompous rich guy who’s cheating, a woman just trying to get out of the slums even if it’s with someone that hits her. The guy everyone wants to be or know who couldn’t give a sh-rats as-”

“Stiles, I’m glad to see you’re so passionate about the reading and I appreciate your attempt to censor yourself but why not let the rest of the class read the book first before we get into a full-blown discussion.” Mr. Hale cuts in, the smile Stiles was trying to bring to his face finally making an appearance. Stiles mentally patted himself on the back. Mr. Hale should always smile, it was too pretty a sight not to let it be seen all the time.

“Right sure, do I have to read it again though?” Stiles asks, he was in the middle of a pretty good book and had more important things he could be doing if he was completely honest, like planning for the party and how to sneak off to talk to Mr. Hale more.

“What’s your favorite quote from the book?” Mr. Hale questions him, his eyes never leaving Stiles’ own.

“If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him.” Stiles quotes, Mr. Hale raised his eyebrows in response, probably surprised Stiles didn’t pick the first or last line of the book.

“You don’t have to read it again, but I’d like to talk to you later about what you can be doing while everyone else is.” Mr. Hale nods before turning his attention back to the rest of the class. Stiles tried harder to pay attention after that, his eyes never leaving Mr. Hale as he spoke and passed out books to everyone. He felt his phone buzz a few times in his pocket but ignored it, not wanting to disappoint Mr. Hale again.

“Remember, chapters 1 through 4 due by Thursday, quiz Friday.” Mr. Hale calls out after the bell rings. Everyone started to shuffle out of the room while Stiles slipped his notebook back into his bag, walking up to Mr. Hale’s desk where the man was pulling out more books for the next class.

“So when do you wanna talk? I have a free period 4th hour or we could talk after school.” Stiles voices, readjusting his backpack strap on his shoulder.

“My free period is 4th hour as well so you can come in then if you want, I’ll write you a pass.” Mr. Hale replies, grabbing the notepad of hall passes and writing one out. Stiles smirked to himself, glad he had rearranged his schedule the first week so his free period would line up with Mr. Hale’s, he knew it would come in handy.

“Thanks, Mr. H, I’ll see you later.” Stiles smiles, taking the pass and stuffing it into his pocket.

“Am I going to have the same conversation with Miss Martin?” Mr. Hale questions as Stiles moves to the door.

“Lydia is more into math and science but she’s read it a few times I think, she won’t say anything most likely, she likes to show off how much she knows so she’ll want to be doing the same work like everyone else.” Stiles chuckles, students already piling into the room for the next class.

“And you don’t want the same?” Mr. Hale questions, his arms crossed over his chest as he leans against the side of his desk. Stiles had to shake his head to get rid of all the dirty thoughts popping into his mind. Mr. Hale looked like a wet dream and now was not the time to pop a boner.

“I like a challenge, something that will keep my interest,” Stiles tells him, smiling teasingly as he waves goodbye and rushes to his next class before the bell can ring.

 

 

***

 

 

Stiles pushes the door open to Mr. Hale’s room to find it empty, frowning he moves further into the room and takes a seat in the desk right in front of Mr. Hale’s. Stiles pulls out his phone and opening up the latest message from Lydia.

**Group Message From Strawberry Goddess: Talked to Danny and he’s in. he’s inviting Brett and the boys**

**To Strawberry Goddess and Coco Puff: Cool I talked to Scotty and Ally they’re coming, wanna get the others at lunch?**

**From Strawberry Goddess: We’ll sit with them and ask**

**From Coco Puff: I invited a couple I have** gym **with, they’re a year younger but have been talking to me lately**

**To Strawberry Goddess and Coco Puff: Who is it? And are we cool to bring booze? Malia is gonna ask for sure and it will probs be the selling point**

**From Coco Puff: Mason and Corey and** yah **we’ll just have to be careful of Der**

**From Strawberry Goddess: I can get a few bottles we’ll make sure no one acts too stupid**

**To Strawberry Goddess and Coco Puff: Coco Puff can we crash at yours so we don’t have to be sober**

**From Coco Puff: Don’t ever call me that ever again and I’ll ask**

**From Strawberry Goddess: Is your brother going to be okay with Stiles staying over?**

**From Coco Puff: If I tell him he’s super gay and were not going to have a threesome yah**

**To Strawberry Goddess and Coco Puff: Awwwwwww we’re not? :(**

**From Strawberry Goddess: Please remember the time Heather grabbed your dick and tried to blow you and you couldn’t even get it up**

**From Coco Puff: Lmfao wish I could have seen that**

**To Strawberry Goddess and Coco Puff: To be fair you’re both a lot hotter then she was, not my type but I’m sure we could work something out ;)**

**From Coco Puff: Trying to get in our pants, really Stiles?**

**To Strawberry Goddess and Coco Puff: If you’re not willing to get all up on this it’s your loss sweetheart, maybe I’ll try to get Theo to fuck me, piss off Liam enough to get him to make a move**

“You know, Cora and Lydia are in class right now and I’m sure their teachers don’t appreciate you distracting them.”

Stiles looks up from his phone at the sound of Mr. Hale’s voice, the man holding a small stack of books in his arms as he makes his way to his desk to drop them off.

“To be fair Lydia texted us first, I was just replying,” Stiles states, getting up from his chair to see what books Mr. Hale had brought. “These for me?”

“I was thinking since you’ve already read Gatsby that I’d start you on independent reading. I’ve read all three of these so I’ll make you up quizzes and have you do a paper when you finish.” Mr. Hale says as he lines up the three books in front of Stiles. Stiles scans over the titles with a raised eyebrow; _Great Expectations_ by Charles Dickens, _Talk_ by Linda Rosenkrantz, and _Lolita_ by Vladimir Nabokov. Stiles gaze flickers to where Mr. Hale was staring at him with an unreadable expression.

“Interesting choices, I get to pick which one I want to read?” Stiles asks, his eyes scanning over Mr. Hale’s face carefully. Stiles knew what each of these books was about, had read them all before. Knew the meaning behind each one, what he didn’t know was why Mr. Hale was presenting them to him like a test.

“Yes, whichever one you want.” Mr. Hale confirms. Stiles hums to himself, letting his eyes sweep over Mr. Hale’s face one last time before directing his attention to the novels in front of him.

“I’ve always loved _Lolita_ , the taboo of it all you know, keeps you interested. You see into the mind of someone who wants to take no matter how much they know they shouldn’t.” Stiles sees Mr. Hale’s jaw tighten as he nods, making Stiles tilt his head to the side, this _was_ a test. One Stiles was going to pass if he had any say in it.

“ _Talk_ is funny, gives you a good outlook on friendship. Reminds me of Lydia and I. Cora too I think. Feels like she’s been with us forever she fits in so well.” Stiles smiles lightly at the words, seeing Mr. Hale’s shoulders relax slightly. “ _Great Expectations_ is one of my favorites, the affection, the loyalty Pip shows. His love for Estella is inspiring really. I’ve always wanted a love like that.”

“Did you know there are two ending to the story?” Mr. Hale questions, his voice soft.

“Yah, I think Dickens picked the right one to publish. He gave them a chance to be together after everything. Even if it took years to get there, they found their way back to one another,”

“So, you’ve read all of them?” Mr. Hale asks, looking between Stiles and the books.

“I’ve read most of the library, always loved reading, before Lydia and I became friends I was a loner who spent his whole life in a book.” Stiles laughs, shaking his head at the thought. He’s come a long way even if he was still the same in some aspects.

“Which one do you want to do a report on?”

Stiles scratches his cheek lightly as he takes in the man in front of him, debating his options.

“Friendship, stolen innocence, or a maybe happy ending.” Stiles hums, taking a step closer to the desk, wishing it wasn’t separating the two of them. He knew what he wanted, he knew what Mr. Hale was doing. What Mr. Hale wanted.

“I think I’ll take my chances with a maybe happy ending.”

 

 


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote a second part! Thank you to everyone who commented you inspired me to keep this going when I wasn't sure if I should or not, let me know what you think!

“Where did you even get all this?” Cora questions as Lydia and Stiles pull several bottles of vodka and tequila out of Lydia’s overnight bag. They were setting up the back patio for the party, folding chairs, blankets, and a snack table set up around the fire pit.

“My dad has a liquor cabinet that he keeps very well stocked,” Lydia explains simply, stashing the alcohol under one of the blankets in case Mr. Hale came out. He had helped them set up the table and got the fire started before telling them he would be grading some quizzes in his office if they needed him.

“Danny texted, they’re five minutes out. Brett’s not drinking so he’ll be able to drive them home.” Stiles tells them as he pulls out his phone and reads the text.

“Allison isn’t drinking either, I’m assuming Isaac won’t be either.” Lydia hums as she pours the three of them each a cup of vodka and sprite. They had sat with Kira, Malia, and Isaac at lunch on Monday and invited them over, Isaac had been hesitant at first but had agreed once Malia and Kira had said they would come.

“Stop that,” Lydia scolds Cora, slapping the girl’s hands away from where they were tugging on the end of her skirt. Lydia had picked out outfits for the both of them, Cora in a tight black turtleneck and red velvet skirt and Stiles in a light red sweater and charcoal jeans, a black beanie covering up his unruly hair. The Queen herself was in a maroon long sleeved jumpsuit and black heels, her hair pulled back in a high ponytail. Stiles thought it was cute how she color coded them.

“What if he doesn’t like me? Maybe we shouldn’t have invited them.” Cora says biting her bottom lip in worry. She had been silently freaking out all week trying to pretend it wasn’t a big deal that Isaac was coming to the party. Stiles knew Cora wasn’t one to show vulnerability, in the week they had known each other the trio had spent every day together and we’re already incredibly close. It was like Stiles and Lydia had been waiting for Cora to show up to become best friends. They had been friends ever since Scott and Allison got together Sophomore year but hadn’t been close, only hanging out one on one a handful of times. Now with Cora in the mix, it was like the three of them were attached at the hip.

“Hey if he doesn’t, my offer still stands,” Stiles smirks with a seductive wiggle of his eyebrows, making both girls roll their eyes at him.

“What offer?”

Stiles turns around at the sound of Danny’s voice, Brett, Liam, and Theo trailing behind the boy as they make their way over towards the fire.

“I suggested we have a threesome, they’re still skeptical.” Stiles sighs dramatically, flopping down into his chair snagging a pack of Oreos and grabbing his drink.

“Aren’t you gay?” Theo questions with a confused look on his face, heading straight for the drinks Lydia was pouring for the group.

“Incredibly so,” Stiles nods before taking a swig of his drink.

“I’m not even gonna ask,” Theo states with a shake of his head, taking a seat across from Stiles over the fire. Liam settling in next to him with his own drink.

“Guys, this is Cora, Cora this is Theo, Liam, and Brett.” Stiles points to each boy in turn, each of them giving a nod and a small hello in greeting.

“Where’s everyone else?” Brett questions as Danny and him grab their own seats, a bag of chips between them.

“On the way last I heard.” Stiles shrugs ripping open the package in his hands and sending Cora an encouraging smile when she sat down to his right, drowning half her drink in one go due to her nerves.

“Hey guys!”

“Scotty! What’s up man?” Stiles greets with a smile, standing up to give the other boy a quick bro hug, pulling Allison in next.

“Ready to get drunk,” Scott chuckles as he takes the drink Lydia offers him.

“Your dad again?” Lydia questions Allison, getting a small, sad nod in return. Allison’s dad had never been happy about Scott and her dating and was always making things difficult for the young couple’s relationship.

“Yah, he barely let me come, I have to be back by 11.” Allison sighs, looking at the drink in Scott’s hand mournfully.

“I can get that stick out of his ass if you want.” Stiles offers with a shrug, grinning when the girl gave him a disgusted look.

“Why are you always hitting on my dad?” Allison whines looking like she regretted even knowing Stiles. Stiles would take offense but the two of them had always had a playful friendship.

“Not my fault your dad is hot, I have eyes,” Stiles replies, leading the two over to some empty seats next to Lydia’s.

“And a mouth.” Allison huffs as she collapses into her chair, a small smile playing on her lips.

“It’s a nice mouth though, perfect for-”

“Is Stilinski already talking shit?” Malia cuts him off, coming into the backyard with Kira and Isaac. Mason and Corey only a few feet behind them. Everyone introduce themselves quickly, most of them have not met the boys from Devenford.

“I’m offended, I only speak the truth.” Stiles pouts his lip out in mock hurt, getting an eye roll from almost everyone present. Rude, Stiles needs better friends.

“Like when you swore you saw a werewolf in your backyard.” Isaac snorts, sitting down next to Cora who ducked her head and shot him a small smile from behind her hair.

“It was a werewolf or at least a wolf. That thing was huge.” Stiles fire backs. Isaac had still been staying with them when Stiles had called his father swearing to the Sheriff a werewolf was in the yard and looking at him through the window like it wanted to eat him.

“It was a Tibetan Mastiff, Stiles. Deaton and I found its owner like a week later.” Scott chimes in.

“You’re supposed to be on my side Scotty, act like it.” Stiles glares half-heartedly at the boy, draining the last of his drink and shoving two cookies into his mouth seconds after.

“Let’s do something besides listen to Stiles cry wolf.” Lydia put in, looking around the group with one perfect eyebrow raised.

“Truth or dare?” Liam suggests with a shrug as Stiles mutters unintelligently to himself as he pours another drink, handing a bowl of popcorn to a grateful looking Allison.

“What are we, 12?” Theo snorts in amusement, getting a punch in the shoulder from the shorter boy.

“What do you suggest then?” Liam asks with a scowl. Stiles thinks it’s safe to assume they aren’t fucking yet, meets Lydia’s eye as he takes his seat and sharing a look with the redhead. They were going to be playing matchmaker for more than one friend tonight it seems.

“Let's just play, since no one has any better ideas,” Danny speaks up.

“You just want dirt on everyone.” Stiles accuses, getting a toothy grin in response.

“Stiles, truth or dare?” Danny asks, leaning back in his seat carelessly.

“Dare.” Stiles replies with narrowed eyes, Danny (who still knew too much damn it) would probably try to get him to admit he had a crush on Mr. Hale if he got the chance. Stiles wasn’t about to give it to him.

“I dare you to post the pictures from Jungle on Facebook.”

“You’re the shitty friend I have if my dad sees those I’m going to end up in lock up.” Stiles groans, reluctantly pulling out his phone.

“Instagram then,” Danny shrugs with a smirk. The pictures were from the week before school started when Stiles, Danny, and Brett had snuck into Jungle on blackout night. Stiles had gotten completely shit faced and ended up making friends with all the drag queens who had taken it upon themselves to strip him of his shirt and paint his body in neon colors. Stiles had ended up dancing on the tables wearing a blonde wig and bright red lipstick. Danny had made sure to get photographic evidence.

“These are priceless,” Cora cackles as she scrolls through the pictures Stiles had just posted, everyone else checking their own Instagrams to see.

“Do you still talk to the queens?” Brett questions him.

“We have a group chat, they want me to come by next weekend for 80’s night if you two are interested,” Stiles responds, not pointing out that the drag queens were trying to get him to dress in drag for it. Danny didn’t need any more fuel for his blackmailing material on Stiles.

“Sounds good,” Brett nods as everyone puts their phones away once they were done laughing at Stiles’ expense.

“Alright, Theo, truth or dare?”

“I’m going to regret picking either so truth.” Theo says, gulping down the rest of his drink to prepare himself.

“Do you have a crush on anyone?” Stiles asks, smirking to himself when he sees both Liam and Theo tense up. Stiles wasn’t going to be a complete asshole and ask him outright who he had a crush on, they all needed to be drunker for that.

“Yes,” Theo bites out, glaring daggers at Stiles. Stiles hums in interest, sharing a smirk with Lydia before taking another drink.

“Scott, truth or dare?” Theo questions, trying to change the subject.

The game went on for a while involving a striptease from Danny, Kira prank calling her neighbor, Allison admitting her most embarrassing moment, Liam having to chug half a bottle of vodka, Malia streaking around the house without a care. Lydia getting dared to call the guy she was crushing on (which happened to be one of his dad’s deputies) and ask him out. He had said no but to call him back when she was 18 which had the redhead grinning brightly. Mason had to lick Liam’s neck (Scott sucked at truth or dare), Corey admitted he’s prank everyone he could if he could become invisible, Brett had to give a lap dance to a very amused Stiles. Leaving only Cora and Isaac left who hadn’t gotten a turn.

“Isaac, truth or dare?” Brett asks once he had taken his seat again.

“Truth,” Isaac mutters back. Stiles knew the taller boy wasn’t used to so many people and was a little proud how much Isaac had been contributing throughout the night. Isaac was openly talking and seemed to be enjoying himself as was everyone else. Everyone who was drinking was loosed lipped and giggly, half the bottles empty. Scott could barely keep his eyes open and Liam and Theo’s chairs had gotten much closer as the night went on.

“What’s the most disturbing thing you’ve seen?”

“I once walked in on my foster parents fucking, there were chains and leopard print involved, I still have nightmares.” Isaac shudders at the thought, smile softly to himself when everyone laughs.

“Cora, truth or dare?” Isaac questions the girl, the more she had drank the bolder she had gotten. The shy girl from before was replaced with a flushed, smiling girl who was laughing loud and poking fun at everything.

“Dare,” Cora replies instantly, straightening in her seat.

“Um, I dare you to...kiss someone,” Isaac mumbles, looking unsure of his own words. Stiles was going to guess the boy had never played before. Didn’t know what to ask and went with the easiest dare.

“Anyone?” Lydia speaks up, side-eyeing Stiles as she did. They need this to work in their favor.

“How about whoever she finds most attractive, make it interesting.” Stiles shrugs his shoulder, his limbs lose from the alcohol but his mind still sharp enough to give the two a gentle push.

“Yeah, sure.” Isaac nods in agreement.

“Okay,” Cora doesn’t waste any time, getting up from her chair and taking two steps in Isaac’s direction, climbing into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and diving in.

“Mhh,” Isaac squeals, his eyes as wide as saucers until he gets with the program and kisses back. His hands holding onto the girl’s hips and his eyes slipping shut as they move together. Stiles wolf whistles at them, high fiving Lydia discreetly with a shit eating grin on his face.

“This is making me horny, Theo, you wanna make out?” Stiles questions when it seems Cora and Isaac are not going to be coming up for air anytime soon.

“Not with you,” Theo snorts into his drink, Liam looking about two seconds from punching Stiles in the face.

“He has a crush Stiles, there’s only one person he wants to be kissing.” Lydia hums in reminder, her devilish grin matching Stiles’ own.

“That’s right, so who is it, Theo? Anyone we know?”

“It’s none of your business.” Theo snips, scowling at the pair.

“It’s totally someone we know,” Stiles tells Lydia, the redhead nodding in agreement.

“But who do we know from Devenford, it can’t be Brett.” Lydia comments, her tone thoughtful.

“I think the only other person we really know is Liam,” Stiles replies, scratching his cheek like he’s actually thinking about it.

“You two are so manipulative, my God.” Brett chuckles in amusement, turning his attention to where Liam and Theo were avoiding one another’s eye. “They’re trying to tell you to get your head out your ass and make a move. He likes you, do something about it.”

Theo and Liam both blushed scarlet, side-eyeing one another, making Stiles groan loudly as he stood up from his seat, grabbing a couple more Oreos from his half-empty pack.

“Fucking kiss already, I gotta piss.”

Stiles doesn’t wait to see if they listen, strolling into the house while he munches on his Oreos, muttering to himself about stupid teenage boys. Stiles heads to the bathroom near the kitchen, relieving himself quickly and washing his hands.

“Oh, Hey Mr. Hale, how’s the grading going? Did you do mine yet? I debated on number five for like 10 minutes because I wasn't sure if Pip’s dishonesty or guilt was his biggest negative quality so I just circled both since I thought they were equal in establishing his character.” Stiles doesn’t mean to ramble but he’s a little drunk and Mr. Hale is standing by the fridge in gray pajama pants and a wife beater looking oh so soft and oh so kissable. Stiles rambles when he’s nervous, it’s a curse.

“I’ve got through most of them, and yes I did yours first actually. I was interested to see what your answers would be.” Mr. Hale chuckles, making Stiles beam. Mr. Hale had graded his paper before everyone else’s because he was interested in what Stiles had to say. “Number five was a trick question, I wanted to see what you would pick.”

“Did I chose right?” Stiles questions, leaning forward on his forearms over top of the island.

“You got an A, I was impressed. I’m looking forward to reading your essay.” Mr. Hale states, making Stiles peen, he had already started on his essay. He wanted it to be perfect for when he handed it in.

“Why aren’t you outside?” Mr. Hale asks as he grabs a beer from the middle shelf, shutting the fridge behind him.

“Liam and Theo finally got their shit together and are hopefully making out right now. Lydia and I are the only single ones now so everyone is probably making out as we speak-shit I probably shouldn’t be telling you this. Cora’s gonna kill me.” Stiles drops his head onto the counter mid-sentence. Stiles really needed to remember to think before he spoke. He blamed the alcohol.

“It’s fine Stiles, I was a teenager once too.” Derek laughs lightly, popping the cap of his beer off.

“Cora is still going to kill me for telling you about Isaac-which-fuck you didn’t know about till I just told you. This is worse than when I try to hide stuff from my dad.” Stiles moans in self-pity, Mr. Hale was way too easy to talk to. Stupid bunny teeth and perfect smile that made Stiles’ brain misfire.

“I imagine you don’t get away with a lot considering I didn’t even have to ask any questions.” Mr. Hale smirks, making Stiles groan again for a whole nother reason. Mr. Hale’s face should not be allowed to look like that, it was extremely dangerous to Stiles’ mental health. And his heart.

“I’m a great influence, we’ve been over this.” Stiles points out. “But just so you don’t have to go into overprotective big brother mode Isaac is a literal puppy like Erica and Boyd took him in and I’m pretty sure Boyd convinced her by saying he was saving a sad puppy dog.”

“Boyd and Erica?” Derek repeats with a raised eyebrow. Stiles didn’t understand how the man’s eyebrows could ask the question better than words did.

“Oh, Boyd works with my dad, Erica is his terrifying wife. They took Isaac in after his asshole dad died. They’re around your age actually, you should meet them, they’re super cool and you know if you’re looking for someone to workout with Boyd is your man, dude’s stacked.” Stiles nods, already thinking about how well the three of them would get along. “Jordan, another one of my dad’s deputies, is only like two years younger than you. I could introduce you to them, you know, if you’re looking for friends of course. Like we did this party for Cora because she doesn’t know anyone but you just moved here too and it’s probably harder for adults to make friends than it is teenagers so I could totally talk to them and you could meet them and-”

“Breath Stiles,” Derek cuts him off, grinning softly as he does. “That’s very kind of you, it’s hard being in a new place where you don’t know anyone. My social interactions have mainly been with anyone under the age of 18.”

“Hey at least you got me, I’m an amazing conversationalist, blow everyone else right out of the water since I can actually speak your language.” Stiles boosts, the alcohol in his blood and the smile and Derek’s face making him feel bold.

“My language?” The eyebrows are back and Stiles has every right to stare. Eye contact was an important part of conversations.

“Yah, book talk, I could have an entire conversation in quotes with you and we’d be the only ones that understood,” Stiles explains, his fingers tapping against the countertop.

“Only those who know the supremacy of the intellectual life—the life which has a seed of ennobling thought and purpose within it-”

“Can understand the grief of one who falls from that serene activity into the absorbing soul-wasting struggle with worldly annoyances.” Stiles finishes, getting an approving nod in return.

“You know _Middlemarch_ well enough to quote it?” Derek asks, his tone underline with an impressed tone.

“Like I said, I can speak your language.” Stiles shrugs, trying not to let it show how happy he was that Mr. Hale was impressed with his reading knowledge.

“What do you want to be, Stiles?” Mr. Hale questions with a thoughtful look on his beautiful face. Stiles bit back his ‘The love of your life’ comment and went into his next best answer.

“I’m debating right now between an English major or Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering. Might end up just double majoring though since I want to be a researcher, an English major will help when I discover a medical breakthrough and write a book about it.”

“You’ve read all the books on my syllabus haven’t you.” Mr. Hale says it like a statement more than an actual question but Stiles nods anyways. He’s read them all at least three times. “How would you feel about an independent study instead? I think it would be beneficial for you, challenge you in a way the reading I have for the rest of the class can’t.”

“I’m always up for a challenge,” Stiles hums, rocking back on his heels as he straightens up.

“I have some material in mind, you can spend your free period in my room, maybe even help me with grading.” Mr. Hale offers. Stiles has to stop himself from fist bumping the air, he was going to be getting so much one on one time with Mr. Hale.

“That’d be awesome, I’m always looking for something good to read,”

“I’ll make a list for you to look over on Monday, make sure you haven’t read them all before.” Mr. Hale says with a teasing smile, taking a drink of his beer. Stiles claps his hands behind his back as he stares at the smooth line of Mr. Hale’s throat as he swallows, willing himself not to get hard.

“You should probably get back out there, I’m sure your friends are missing you.” Mr. Hale nods to the back door where Stiles can just make out his friends sitting around the fire.

“I doubt it, everyone paired off besides Lydia and me, but she’s probably mooning over Jordan right now.” Stiles shrugs, not wanting to go back outside when Mr. Hale was standing right in front of him. Stiles had priorities.

“The deputy?” Mr. Hale questions with those damn eyebrows again. Stiles thinks he might be a little obsessed with them.

“Yah, she got dared to call him and ask him out and he politely declined but told her to call him back when she turns 18. He is an officer of the law and all that so it’s probably for the best to wait, wouldn’t want my dad to have to arrest him.” Stiles replies, his eyes scanning over Mr. Hale’s face as he speaks. He didn’t look concerned that Lydia had a pending date with someone 6 years her senior.

“Probably for the best, yes.” Mr. Hale repeats, his eyes lingering on Stiles’ mouth when Stiles runs his tongue over his bottom lip. Stiles bites back a smirk and ducks his head, looking up at Mr. Hale through his lashes.

“Hey, I wanted to say thank you for letting me stay over tonight, some people aren’t really cool with co-ed sleepovers, makes it hard to have girl friends.”

“I trust you three, and you’ve already pointed out that Cora wasn’t your type, something about the wrong anatomy?” Mr. Hale hums with a playful smile.

“That’s very true yes, I did say that. Coco Puff is a goddess but we all bat for the same team.” Stiles nods in agreement.

“Coco Puff?” Mr. Hale snorts, clasping a hand over his mouth to suppress the laughter bubbling up.

“She might have told me never to call her that but it’s too perfect not to.” Stiles grins, his chest feeling warm, Mr. Hale had the nicest laugh, Stiles wouldn’t mind hearing it all the time.

“I might have to steal that, or tell Laura.” Derek chuckles with a shake of his head.

“Laura is your older sister right?” Stiles asks like he didn’t already know.

“Yah, she stayed in New York while we came out here. She loves it there.” Derek supplies with a fond smile.

“What about you? Do you miss the city?”

“Sometimes, but I like it here more.” Derek rebuttals, looking down at his beer with a small frown.

“Travel far enough, you meet yourself.” Stiles recites, turning the frown into a light up turn of the man’s lips.

“ _Cloud Atlas_ , your memory is-”

“Stiles you left me alone with all the couples, I’m drowning in teenage hormones and I do not appreciate. Hello Mr. Hale.” Lydia cuts him off as she glides into the kitchen, sending a disapproving frown to Stiles and a bright smile towards Mr. Hale.

“Hello, Lydia. Should I be concerned about what everyone is up to out there?” Mr. Hale replies, looking amused.

“No concern needed, they know to stayed clothed and above the belt,” Lydia reassures with a wave of her hand. Her eyes were dilated from the alcohol but her voice was smooth and her body alert.

“Why are we always the ones in charge again?” Stiles questions the girl, he’d much rather be drunk and kissing someone. Someone being Mr. Hale.

“Because we’re the only two mature enough, besides we’re the only single ones now.” Lydia points out, not looking any happier about it than Stiles felt.

“That’s probably due to your maturity,” Mr. Hale states, swallowing down the rest of his beer.

“Yes, Stiles and I are cursed with a desire for older men, high school boys just don’t know how to treat a girl.”

“I’m not a girl Lyds,” Stiles whines, pouting his lip out at her and getting an eye roll in return.

“Tell me that again next time you let Cherry and Angel play dress up.” Lydia retorts, giving Stiles a meaningful look. Stiles should have never shown her those pictures of him in Cherry’s dress. He wasn’t ashamed but Stiles knew Lydia was just dying to dress him up herself.

“I _did_ look awesome in that dress, made my legs look really good.” Stiles hums running a hand over his chin. Stiles looked over to see Mr. Hale staring very intently down at his empty bottle. Interesting.

“That you did, now let’s go break up the makeout fest.” Lydia nods, grabbing Stiles hand to lead him out the back door. “See you in the morning Mr. Hale.”

“It was nice talking to you, Mr. Hale,” Stiles says with a small wave, grinning wide when he sees the soft blush dusting the tips of Mr. Hale’s ears.

“Have fun,” Mr. Hale calls out before dumping his empty bottle in the trash.

“You’ve got it so bad,” Lydia whispers in his ear once they were outside.

“Don’t fucking remind me, we’re both crushing on guys we can’t have.” Stiles huffs, dragging his feet slightly as they make their way over to where the couples were. There was no point in trying to deny his crush, Lydia knew him too well.

“ _Yet_ ,” Lydia reminds with a pointed look. Stiles smiles a little at that, nodding his head once.

“Yet.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

**From Coco Puff: I can’t fucking believe you’re introducing my brother to my bf’s foster parents**

**From Strawberry Goddess: And my future bf**

**To Coco Puff and Strawberry Goddess: He needs friends, Boyd and Jordan are great guys**

**From Coco Puff: It’s still weird**

**To Coco Puff and Strawberry Goddess: If he makes friends he won’t be at home as much and we can get drunk in your room without worry**

**From Strawberry Goddess: So we’re getting drunk this weekend? I vote we do makeovers**

**From Coco Puff: Let’s put Stiles in a dress, I need to experience this first hand.**

**To Coco Puff and Strawberry Goddess: You both get off on watching me suffer don’t you**

 

“Who are you texting?” Jordan asks as Stiles sitting on the corner of the man’s desk. Stiles had come into the station after lacrosse practice to bring his dad dinner and introduced Jordan and Boyd to Derek.

“Cora and Lydia, we’re planning a sleepover this weekend,” Stiles informs him, the week was going by quickly. Stiles had looked over the list of books Mr. Hale gave him and only had to cross out five. It was Thursday already and Stiles had told Mr. Hale to stop by on his way home so Stiles could introduce him to the two deputies since they were both on shift today.

“You three have gotten pretty close,” Jordan hums, making Stiles smile.

“They’re my best friends, Scott and I use to be really close but ever since Ally and him started dating we’ve been drifting. Lyds and Coco are like the best thing that’s happened to me.” Stiles admits, the fondness in his chest growing as he thinks about his two best friends.

“If you keep calling her Coco she might revoke your friend privileges.”

“She’d never, I’m the best thing to ever happen to her,” Stiles smirks up at Mr. Hale who had just walked over, the first two buttons of his dress shirt undo, showing off the perfect amount of chest hair. Stiles had been working on his tolerance, spending an hour alone with the man every day with permission to stare as much as he wanted was helping, slightly.

“Bit dramatic there Stiles,” Jordan chuckles, reaching out a hand towards Mr. Hale. “I’m Jordan Parrish, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Derek Hale, it’s great to put a face to a name.” Derek greets shaking Jordan’s hand in a friendly grip.

“Stiles been chatting me up?” Jordan questions in amusement.

“Course I’d talk up my favorite deputy, I’m trying to build friendships here, get with the program J,” Stiles teases, knocking his foot against Jordan’s leg.

“I see where your loyalties lie.” Boyd huffs as he joins the three of them.

“J didn’t give me a ticket two weeks ago,” Stiles grumbles with a small pout, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You were going 55 in a 30, you’re lucky I didn’t make you go to court,” Boyd replies with an eye roll, lifting his hand to Derek. “You must be Derek, Cora’s brother.”

“Yes, nice to finally meet you.” Derek nods, shaking Boyd’s hand.

“You too, Stiles told us you’d be stopping by.”

“Yes, he said something about me needing to find friends.” Mr. Hale says with a playful smile directed at Stiles. Stiles grins back at him, his heart fluttering in his chest.

“Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family." Stiles quotes, getting a soft smile from Mr. Hale in return.

“ _The Godfather_ , I shouldn’t be surprised.” Mr. Hale chuckles lightly with a small shake of his head.

“So he isn’t just spouting nonsense all the time, who knew.” The Sheriff says as he comes out of his office, making Stiles roll his eyes.

“Love you too, dad,” Stiles mutters, his heartbeat picking up when his dad offers a hand to Mr. Hale, today was the day for introductions apparently. He probably should have seen this coming.

“You must be Mr. Hale, it’s nice to meet you. My son seems to be spending a lot of time with your sister lately, I apologize for anything he may have done or said.” The Sheriff says, making Stiles groan as everyone laughs.

“I’m a delight!” Stiles protest with a pout, glaring at the lot of them. His dad was getting salads for the rest of the week.

“He’s been nothing but kind, and please call me Derek.” Mr. Hale smiles, taking his hand back and stuffing both into his pant pockets.

“John, and are you sure we’re talking about the same kid?” The Sheriff questions playfully.

“I’m a fu- _freaking_ delight,” Stiles repeats, swallowing down the curse when he remembers who he’s in front of.

“Of course you are, Stiles,” Jordan reassures him, patting him on the shoulder lightly.

“This is why you’re my favorite,” Stiles pats Jordan’s face twice, blowing a kiss to the man, earning himself a fond eye roll.

“Stiles is actually the best in his grade in English, I have him working on college-level reading right now. He’s an outstanding student.” Mr. Hale praises, making Stiles beam. He can’t help the pride that courses through him. Mr. Hale sounded so proud.

“The great teachers fill you up with hope and shower you with a thousand reasons to embrace all aspects of life.” Stiles quotes softly, watching Mr. Hale’s eyes widen slightly in shock. Stiles wanted to finish the quote but didn’t want to say it in front of his dad and the two deputies. He didn’t want to give himself away. Mr. Hale knew the rest, he could tell, and Stiles was almost positive he knew what else Stiles wasn’t saying.

“ _My Losing Season_ , you-you weren’t kidding about your love for reading.” Mr. Hale replies after a moment, his eyes scanning over Stiles’ face, searching.

“He’s always been like that, his nose in a new book every time I turned around.” The Sheriff chuckles fondly, lifting a hand and squeezing Stiles’ shoulder. Stiles gave him a brief smile, barely taking his eyes off of Mr. Hale who was still staring at him.

“So, Erica wanted me to invite you out for drinks this weekend, you too Parrish,” Boyd speaks up, his eyes landing on the Sheriff. “You’re more than welcome to come as well, Sheriff.”

“I’m staying at Cora’s tomorrow if you wanna Dad, I know it’s your day off.” Stiles chimes in, getting an eyebrow raise from Mr. Hale.

“You are?” Mr. Hale questions in amusement.

“Oh, I thought she already asked you, but apparently not, so is it chill if Lyds and I stay over?” Stiles grimaces slightly, he had thought Cora would have texted Derek already.

“It’s fine, Stiles, I’ve told you before you two are welcome anytime.” Mr. Hale reminds him, making Stiles relax slightly.

“Thanks, Mr. H.” Stiles smiles.

“So it’s settled then, the girls can have their sleepover and we can all go out,” Jordan says, making Stiles smack him on the shoulder.

“You’ve been talking to Lydia too much,” Stiles grumbles with narrowed eyes.

“I’ve also seen the pic-”

“She _didn’t_.” Stiles hisses, slapping a hand over Jordan’s smirking face, cutting off the rest of his sentence. Jordan laughs behind Stiles’ hand, making Stiles curse.

“What pictures?” The Sheriff questions with a raised eyebrow, his arms crossed over his chest and that frown Stiles is way too familiar with on his face.

“Pictures? What picture? Oh, would you look at the time! I just remembered I have a test I need to study for, a very important test, I should get going. Lyds and Coco are waiting for me.” Stiles rambles grabbing his phone off Jordan’s desk.

“Mhh, you do that, son.” The Sheriff hums with a small shake of his head, use to Stiles’ rambling excuses by now.

“Tell Lydia I said hi,” Jordan laughs as Stiles throws a glare at him.

“I won’t, you’ve been demoted. Boyd’s my favorite now.”

“What an honor.” Boyd mutters sarcastically, making Stiles huff.

“I don’t know why I talk to any of you,” Stiles mutters bitterly. “Except Mr. Hale, don’t worry I’ll find you better friends. These ones aren’t as nice as I thought they were.”

“Son,” The Sheriff sighs heavily as Stiles glares at the two deputies who are laughing at him. Rude. Stiles doesn’t know why he bothers with either of them.

“The world almost always seems like a very hard desert, and the flowers that grow there seem to grow against such high odds.” Derek quotes in a quiet voice, making Stiles' throat feel tight as his brain supplies him with the whole quote.

 _“I think that real friendship always makes us feel such sweet_ gratitude, _because the world almost always seems like a very hard desert, and the flowers that grow there seem to grow against such high odds.”_

Mr. Hale was thanking him for his friendship, for looking out for him and introducing him to people he could become close to in a place where he only had his little sister and the small conversations he had with Stiles. He was basically telling him that Stiles was a rose in a sea of daisies.

“ _The Eyes of The Dragon_ ,” Stiles voices, clearing his throat when he finds himself staring at Mr. Hale for far too long. He needed to get himself together, his dad was standing right there and he did not need the Sheriff to find out about his crush on his teacher.

“Right well, you guys have fun joking at my expense, I’m gonna go study at Lyds’ I’ll see you in the morning dad.” Stiles says, giving his father a quick hug, waving to Jordan and Boyd.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Mr. H,” Stiles mutters as he passes the man, a fond smile slipping onto his face before he can stop it.

“Good luck with your studying,” Mr. Hale nods, his voice holding a tone Stiles can’t quite put a name to.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“I didn’t understand anything you just said,” Malia states with a blank face, looking from Lydia to the algebra worksheet laying on the table. Since Cora and Isaac started dating their lunch table had gotten significantly more people.

Everyone from the party, besides the three boys from Devenford, now sat with Stiles’ and his friends. Stiles was glad everyone was getting along so well, Kira had hit it off with Allison and Scott almost immediately, taking the sweetheart total up to three. Mason and Corey were talking computers with Danny while Isaac and Cora whispered to one another and Lydia helped Malia with her homework. Stiles had his nose in Robinson Crusoe, he had started it this morning in English while everyone else discussed Gatsby and was already over halfway through.

“You’re coming to my house after school, I’m going to have to reteach you the whole chapter,” Lydia replies with a determined nod.

“I’ll come over after practice to help with English.” Stiles put in, not looking up from his book. He knew Malia struggled with almost every subject and would need someone to explain the meaning behind the new chapters Mr. Hale had assigned for the coming week.

“Can I come to? We can have a study party?” Kira jumps in with a hopeful smile.

“Yah I need someone to explain what the hell Harris was going on about today.” Scott huffs, stuffing three tater tots into his mouth.

“Anyone else?” Lydia questions, looking around at everyone in turn, her eyebrows raised high.

“I need to catch up on the reading for Hale’s, I’m only on the third chapter,” Isaac admits, making Stiles finally look up from his book.

“You guys are supposed to be on chapters 9 through 12.”

“I know, I’ve been reading SparkNotes and barely passing the quizzes,” Isaac responds with an annoyed look.

“Mr. Hale makes sure his questions don’t correspond with any cheat sheets, you actually have to read the book.” Stiles supplies with a shake of his head, finding his spot again.

“How do you know that?” Scott asks with his signature confused face.

“Because he told me last week, you all need to read the book, your scores on the last quiz were laughable.” Stiles shrugs, not noticing everyone staring at him.

“How do you know what we got?” Kira questions with a small frown.

“I graded your quizzes, Lyds, Cora, Ally, and Danny were the only ones who even passed.” Stiles stares. Mr. Hale had been busy creating a slideshow for his Junior class and had asked Stiles to grade the quizzes from last week. Lydia and Cora had gotten 100% while Danny and Ally had both missed one question.

“Why did you grade our quizzes?” Cora questions, making Stiles roll his eyes and look up from his book.

“Because Mr. Hale was busy and asked me to, he was behind because he went out on Friday, hungover Saturday and had lunch with Jordan on Sunday.” Stiles sighs. Cora should know these things, Derek hadn’t gotten home till 2 in the morning on Friday. The three of them had still been up watching The Notebook when he had come in, slightly drunk and grinning to himself. Stiles was glad Mr. Hale had had such a good time, even if he had spent it with Stiles’ dad. Stiles still wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

“How’d you know he went out with Jordan Sunday?” Cora asks, her eyebrows drawn down.

“Because he told me,” Stiles responds with another shrug. Stiles had been hiding out at Angel’s house hungover himself Sunday after going out with the queens, Danny, and Brett for 80’s night at Jungle. He had a good time, even letting Cherry and Angel dress him up in tight blue shorts, a tank top, and leg warmers. Danny had been all too happy to take a million pictures when they had met up.

“Do you just like, hang out with him?” Isaac questions.

“He put me on an independent study when he found out I’ve read all the books he has on his syllabus, I spent my free period in his room helping him with shit and reading,” Stiles answers, his eyes flicking over his friends’ faces as they all stared at him.

“I do the same with Mr. Webster, he knows I want to go into mathematics after high school,” Lydia speaks up, looking disinterested in the whole conversation, bless her beautiful soul.

“Oh, like how Deaton mentors me at work?” Scott nods in understanding, a happy smile taking over his face.

“Exactly,” Lydia hums popping a grape into her mouth.

“So, Lydia’s at 5? We can all help each other out with whatever we need?” Danny speaks up, getting nods from everyone around the table. Stiles let out a small sigh, ducking his head down to continue his reading. He needed to thank Lydia later for taking the attention off him, he really didn’t need all his friends to find out about his intentions with Mr. Hale.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Stiles had just gotten out of chemistry on Friday and was heading to Mr. Hale’s room for his free period, Harris had given a pop quiz and Stiles was glad for the study group his friends had insisted they do at least three times a week. They switched houses depending on who was available between sports, work, and family life. They were a month and a half into school now and the workload was already starting to pile up. With lacrosse and helping his dad refile old case files at the station, he was already ready for the year to be over. Stiles hung out with Lydia and Cora as much as possible, the trio spending the night at each other’s houses even on school nights. Between Lydia having to pre-approve outfits and their coffee dates every morning it was easier for them to just stay over wherever they ended up for the night.

“Hey boo,” Stiles greets Mr. Hale as he pushes the door open to the classroom.

“ _To Kill A Mockingbird_ , nice choice.” Mr. Hale responds looking up from the papers scattered around his desk.

“Those the quizzes from today? How’d everyone do?” Stiles questions as he takes his usual seat in the front row, dropping his bag down onto the floor. He was ready for the school day to be over already, though he was more than happy to spend an hour alone with Mr. Hale.

“Stupidity isn't punishable by death. If it was, there would be a hell of a population drop.” Mr. Hale quotes with a heavy sigh, scrubbing a hand over his face roughly.

“ _The Laughing Corpse_ , that bad?” Stiles grimaces, leaning forward to grab the nearest stack of quizzes to look them over.

“There’s a total of 12 people in both morning classes who have actually read the book.” Mr. Hale informs, leaning back in his seat while Stiles’ eyes flicker over the graded test.

“Never underestimate human stupidity.” Stiles quotes, rolling his eyes at the red 25 circled on one of the papers. The highest score he had seen was a 85. Stiles didn’t understand how anyone could do so poorly, let alone the majority of the classes.

“ _The Fallen Legacies_ , I don’t know what to do with them, no one seems to care about the book.” Mr. Hale frowns as Stiles returns the papers to his desk once he was finished with them.

“They’re a bunch of 17-year-olds in their last year of school, there’s not much you can do to engage them.” Stiles sighs, cursing his whole grade for making Mr. Hale look this sad. It was a good book, it shouldn’t be this hard for them to pick it up and read. “Maybe talk to them Monday and let them have a day to read. If the quizzes are still poor next Friday you can always set chapters per night and make everyone talk about it the next day.”

“If I do that I’ll lose class time, but there isn’t much else I can do.” Mr. Hale mutters, scratching the side of his beard in thought. Stiles let himself have a moment to take in the beauty of the man, his heart clenching in his chest. He wanted to look at Mr. Hale for the rest of their lives, wanted to talk and laugh and just be.

“If they want to fail let them, they need to put in the work and prepare for the real shit college is going to throw at them.” Stiles shrugs, a little pissed off on Mr. Hale’s behalf. Stiles knew how much Mr. Hale cared about making sure everyone had a good education but if the students couldn’t do a simple task Stiles didn’t think they deserved Mr. Hale’s kindness.

“It must be wonderful to be seventeen, and to know everything.” Mr. Hale muses with a soft smile.

“ _2010: Odyssey Two_ , you should hear some of the conversations they have in the halls, I’m living the dream, surrounded by people who don’t know the difference between George Eliot and George Orwell, the discussions I have with my classmates are so stimulating.” Stiles grins as Mr. Hale laughs, his head thrown back slightly as his shoulders shake gently.

“Are you always a smartass?” Mr. Hale asks with a shake of his head. Stiles smirks back, he loved being able to slip quotes into conversations with Mr. Hale. It had become their thing ever since Stiles started hanging out in his room during his free period.

“Nope. Sometimes I'm asleep.”

“ _Blood Rites_ , I didn’t even mean to start that one.” Mr. Hale chuckles.

“You mean you didn’t mean to quote such a masterpiece? I thought you had better game.” Stiles smirks, biting his bottom lip when Mr. Hale rolled his eyes fondly.

“Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.”

“You did not just quote _Fifty Shades_ at me, I’m honestly so put out right now. I thought you had better taste.” Stiles gasps, sticking his nose up in the air in mock disgust.

“You’ve read them as well.” Mr. Hale points out with a fake judgemental look.

“To be fair, I wanted to see how horrible they really were, I’m still cringing,” Stiles replies, shivering for effect.

“They’re quite awful, Laura made me read them, wanted me to spice-um-that’s not important.” Mr. Hale coughs, his ears turning red as he sat up straighter in his chair.

“You should read Wallbanger, it’s a bit slow at the beginning but hilarious and pretty hot. I think you’d like it, first in the series.” Stiles offers, loving how Mr. Hale’s ear seemed to get even more red.

“Uh, I’m not sure-”

“I have a copy, I can bring it when I come over tonight.” Stiles shrugs carelessly, cutting Mr. Hale off.

“Are you and Lydia spending the night?” Mr. Hale questions, looking thankful for the change of subject.

“Yah, think it’s going to be a standing Friday sleepover. I’m probably going to be used as a dress-up doll again. You’re going out with the guys and Erica tomorrow aren’t you?” Stiles’ dad was working tomorrow night but Mr. Hale had said Jordan and invited him out for drinks again earlier in the week.

“Yes, thank you again for introducing us, it’s nice to have people my own age to socialize with.” Mr. Hale responds, Stiles waving a hand at the man’s words.

“I’m glad you all get on, I know Lyds and I steal Cora from you all the time.”

“She’s never had close friends like you two before, I’m happy she’s found such amazing people to spend her time with.” Mr. Hale states with a soft smile, making Stiles heart skip beat. No matter how often Stiles saw the man’s smile it still made butterflies erupt inside him.

“You did not just say that. I have a feeling we're on the verge of hugging and coming up with cute nicknames for each other.” Stiles coos, laughing when Mr. Hale rolls his eyes.

“ _The Vampire Academy_? Really Stiles?” Mr. Hale sighs shaking his head in disapproval.

“I can’t believe you’ve read them, oh my God, I didn’t think you would get that one.” Stiles cackles, holding a hand over his mouth to cover up his laughter.

“You’re not the only one that spends their free time in a book.” Mr. Hale mutters, adjusting his papers as Stiles gets himself under control.

“I feel like we’re both just waiting to see who doesn’t recognize a quote, we obviously have similar reading preferences,” Stiles replies, checking the clock on the wall to see they only had a few minutes until the bell rang. The hour always went by too fast in his opinion.

“What happens when one of us comes up blank?” Mr. Hale questions, pushing the papers to the side and pulling out his roster for the next class.

“Hmm, wanna make a bet?” Stiles asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

“I have a feeling that wouldn’t be a smart idea.” Mr. Hale responds, his own eyebrows raised in a look that screams he knew what Stiles was getting at.

“Aww come on, it could be fun.” Stiles whines, pouting his lip out slight, watching Mr. Hale’s eyes dart down quickly before meeting Stiles’ eye.

“How about we cross that bridge when it comes?” Mr. Hale suggests, the bell ringing in the middle of his sentence. Stiles grabbed his bag off the ground as he stood, grinning brightly over his shoulder as he made his way to the door.

“Fine, game on Mr. H.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have an outline for the rest of the story and this is my top priority right now, I'm working on it as much as I can for everyone who has expressed their love for it. I really enjoy Stiles and Derek talking in quotes, I hope you do too. I've hinted about Stiles in drag but I'm not sure if I'm going to actually do it or not, let me know what your thoughts on it are. Hope you like it :)
> 
> This is the full quote Stiles didn't finish: “The great teachers fill you up with hope and shower you with a thousand reasons to embrace all aspects of life. I wanted to follow Mr. Monte around for the rest of my life, learning everything he wished to share of impart, but I didn't know how to ask.”


	3. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who commented! I woke up to like 20 in my inbox and it made my day! Hope you like this next part I finished it last night and am going to start on the next part today!

“Okay, fuck, marry, kill-Liam Hemsworth, Evan Peters, and Channing Tatum,” Cora says as she lines up her shot, flicking her wrist and letting the ping pong ball sail through the air, missing the plastic cups lined up in a pyramid by an inch. The trio was having their usual Friday night sleepover at Cora’s and had decided to brush up on their beer pong skills. They had filled the cups with water since Derek was home tonight grading tests in his office.

“Fuck Tatum, marry Hemsworth, and kill Peters with regret,” Stiles answers as Cora takes her next shot, making one of the middle cups with a cheer.

“Switch Liam and Channing for me.” Lydia hums from the armchair she had dragged into the dining room, a magazine in her hand that she was flicking through.

“But Evan Peters,” Cora objects as Stiles makes his first shot, sinking it in the second row.

“He’s hot sure but compared to the other two he’s not what I’m looking for in bed.” Stiles points out, missing his next shot with a curse. Stiles was usually good at beer pong but that was probably due to the perpetual of drinks he consumed before playing. They were all very much sober tonight sadly.  
“Matt Bomer, Chris Pine, and Dave Franco.” Lydia prompts not taking her eyes off the glossy page in front of her.

“Fuck Dave, marry Matt, kill Chris.” Stiles returns without having to think, grabbing a handful of Cheetos to stuff into his mouth.

“Same, I’ve heard Chris Pine is an asshole,” Cora replies, missing both of her next shots. Lydia nods her head in agreement, turning to the next page.

“He’s got a nice ass though.”

“True, okay Spiderman, The Flash, and Green Arrow.” Stiles supplies, picking the balls up off the ground and lining up his shot.

“The comics or the actors?” Cora questions.

“Actors, Tom Holland’s Spiderman,” Stiles responds, missing his first shot when the ball bounced off the rim.

“So they have powers, right? Because that’s a big deciding factor.” Cora snatches the spinning ball out of the cup Stiles landed in with a shit eating grin.

“Duh,” Stiles snorts, rolling his eyes as she makes her next shot in the back row.

“Fuck Spiderman, marry Flash, kill Arrow.”

“Why do powers matter?” Lydia questions glancing up from her reading.

“Arrow doesn’t have any superpowers but Spiderman is super strong and has great reflexes and The Flash can vibrate any part of his body,” Stiles informs her, wiggling his eyebrows at the last bit.

“Oh, definitely marry him,” Lydia hums looking intrigued.

“Right, but if you’re into bondage Spiderman would be a good choice because he comes with his own restraints.” Stiles catches the next shot after it bounces off two cups.

“Interesting, but I’m going to stick with Cora’s answers,” Lydia smirks sending Stiles a knowing look.

“What about Johnny Depp, Leonardo Dicaprio, and Brad Pitt.” Cora produces, scowling when Stiles makes his next two shots. Stiles blows her a kiss while she takes away the cups, getting the middle finger for his efforts.

“Younger versions or older? Because my answers are completely different depending on which ones we're talking about.” Stiles returns as Cora makes her first shot.  
“How so?” Lydia asks, tucking one of her legs up under herself.

“Well, if we’re talking younger fuck Johnny, marry Leo, and kill Brad. If we’re doing older fuck Leo, marry Brad and kill Johnny.” Stiles explains, taking away the cups Cora made.

“Hmm, I see your point.” Lydia hums. “I agree with everything except young Depp over Pitt.”

“Have you seen young Johnny Depp, he’s fucking gorgeous.” Stiles protest missing both of his shots much to Cora’s amusement.

“But Brad Pitt is timeless,” Cora interjects, getting a nod from Lydia in agreement.

“Fine fine, Austin Butler, Luke Mitchell, and KJ Apa.”

“That one’s hard,” Cora states, looking thoughtful as she contemplated her answer. “Fuck KJ, marry Austin, kill Luke.”

“Seriously? Fuck Luke, marry KJ, kill Austin. There’s no contest.” Lydia huffs, getting up to grab a drink from the kitchen.

“I’m going to go with a nice orgy, I’d be okay with a one-night thing involving the three of them,” Stiles tells them, groaning at the thought.

“You’re the definition of a horny teenager.” Cora snorts back, nodding to Lydia in thanks when the redhead hands her a Pepsi.

“Not all of us have boyfriends, Coco, there’s only so much my right hand and I can do.” Stiles sighs dramatically, kissing Lydia on the cheek when she handed him a Gatorade.

“You go out like every other weekend, why not just hook up with someone?” Cora questions ignoring the nickname, tossing both balls into the air without a care, both of them missing their target. Beer pong wasn’t as fun when you were sober.

“Because Stiles here is what we call jailbait, if his dad finds out he’s been hooking up with random 20 something-year-olds all hell would break loose. Jungle lets him in but everyone knows there’s a strict look but don’t touch policy.” Lydia explains with a small upturn of her red lips.

“I’ve gotten offers before but I’m not about to ruin someone’s life just for a quick fuck.” Stiles nods, looking down at his drink with a small frown. Stiles had turned down numerous offers from different men wanting to take him home over the past year, had even made out with a handful of them but he never left with anyone but the queens.

“Why not find someone your own age?” Cora questions with a frown.

“Not interested in fumbling around in the dark with a closeted gay guy. It’s not worth it.” Stiles shrugs, grimacing at the idea. There wasn’t a lot of openly gay guys in Beacon Hill High and the ones that are were already in relationships.

“You’re right, it isn’t. So let’s stop dwelling on the subject and watch this Flash show you were talking about. I need more information.” Lydia speaks up, standing from her seat and waving the two of them to the stairs.

They end up watching five episodes in Cora’s room. Stiles and Cora had seen it before but we’re happy to rewatch the series. Lydia was happy to follow along with the science behind the show, pointing out things she knew were only possible in theory and bickering with Cora about Barry and Iris’ romance that the redhead found boring. The two girls ended up falling asleep around two in the morning, both of them cuddling on the bed with Stiles in the middle.

They had found the perfect system for sharing a bed after the first few nights of too many elbows and blanket hogging. Now the girls just tucked into either side of Stiles using him as a pillow to keep him from tossing and turning too much. Stiles always enjoyed sleeping with his two best friends, sometimes staying awake just to bask in the calm and loving space between the three of them. Running his fingers through their soft hair, wondering how he ever survived without them by his side.

Tonight though he couldn’t seem to fall asleep, his stomach growling and his head filled with too many thoughts. Stiles had always had trouble sleeping but it had gotten easier having the girls with him at night. Now though he felt fidgety and hungry, after half an hour of just laying there staring up at the ceiling he gently extracted himself from the tangle of limbs and quietly made his way out of the room. They had all changed into pajamas after heading upstairs, each of them having left enough clothes at one another’s house that they didn’t even need to bring overnight bags anymore. Stiles headed downstairs in his sweatpants and old lacrosse t-shirt, hoping to find something to snack on in the fridge only to stop in front of the living room entrance upon seeing Mr. Hale seated on the couch in those soft gray sleep pants, his chest gloriously bare. A book in his hands and a pair of black frame glasses on his face. Stiles allowed himself a few seconds to appreciate the sight, leaning back against the door frame as he silently observed Mr. Hale.

“On the nights I can’t sleep, like that one, like so many recently, I wish I could just turn my mind off like a lamp.” Stiles mutters into the quiet air, Mr. Hale looking up from his book with a soft smile when his eyes land on Stiles standing in the doorway.

“ _I’m Thinking Of Ending Things_ , your memory astonishes me.” Mr. Hale replies quietly, slipping his bookmark in between the pages he was on before setting the book down on the coffee table. “What are you doing up?”

“Couldn't’ seem to fall asleep, what about you?” Stiles shrugs, padding further into the room and dropping down into the empty space by Mr. Hale’s feet, his hunger forgotten. Stiles let himself take in the man, his tired face, his week-old stubble, his adorable glasses he only wore when he read. He was breathtakingly beautiful.

“I always come here when I can't sleep, every night.” Mr. Hale responds, his eyes scanning over Stiles' face as the younger boy tries to place the quote.

“ _The Stone Heart?_ ”

“Very good, I thought I had you there for a second.” Mr. Hale chuckles with a nod.

“You’ll have to do better than that, Mr. H,” Stiles replies with a smile, bringing his legs up to hug to his chest.

“You can call me Derek, when we’re not at school.” Derek offers, his eyes softening as Stiles drops his head onto his knees.

“Okay, Derek,” Stiles mutters smiling to himself.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, why don’t you go by your first name?” Derek asks with a small tilt of his head. Stiles let out a long breath at the question, his arms tightening around his legs.

“No one can pronounce it right, my parents are the only ones who knew how to say it and after-after my mom died it was just painful to have people even try. My mom never called me Stiles, she had her own nickname for me, Mischief,” Stiles whispers, his throat feeling tight as the memories of his mother hit him. It had been years since she died but the gaping hole in his chest was still present, would probably always be there.

“Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.” Derek nods, his tone laced with unshown emotion. Stiles knew if anyone was going to understand his loss it would be Derek.

“ _Kafka on the Shore_ , that’s one of my favorite quotes,” Stiles informs him with a small lift of his mouth.

“Mine as well, do you mind me asking what happened to her?”

“She had frontotemporal dementia, there’s no cure so she just slowly lost her mind. I was nine when she died, I was with her at the hospital when she-when she left. I held her hand till the doctors pulled me out of the room. I would go there right after school and read to her, she was a book nerd too.” Stiles laughs wetly, biting his lip at the memory. “I’d grab her favorite books from our house and just sit with her till my dad came to take me home. She didn’t remember me most of the time but she liked to listen on her good days. After she passed my dad drank a lot, I spent most nights at Scott’s until he sobered up and remembered I was there too.” Stiles wipes at his eyes harshly, sniffling as he tried to pull himself together. He hated crying in front of people, it was one of the reasons he never talked about his mom with anyone, he always seemed to cry.

“I read a lot after that, it made me feel closer to her, you know? I read anything I could get my hands on, thought if I could escape into books I wouldn’t have to deal with a world where she wasn’t there to make it brighter.”

“Recovering from suffering is not like recovering from a disease. Many people don’t come out healed; they come out different.” Derek mutters softly, placing a hand on Stiles’ knee in comfort.

“ _The Road to Character,_ ” Stiles nods in recognition, looking up to meet Derek’s sad eyes.

“My parents died when I was about your age, it changed my whole life. I can’t imagine what you must have went through being so young.”

“Grew up faster, changed my outlook on a lot of things, but I never stop thinking about her.” Stiles shrugs, being careful not to dislodge Derek’s hand on his knee. “I don’t believe in closure. What does it really mean? Does it mean the closing of a door, the locking up of memories, the refusal to allow a flow of consciousness that may involve some measure of grief?”

“ _On My Own_ , very fitting.” Derek hums lightly, giving Stiles’ knee another squeeze. “I like to believe everything happens for a reason, you never know where life is going to take you but you have to have faith that it’s where you’re meant to be.”

“The broken heart. You think you will die, but you just keep living, day after day after terrible day.” Stiles replies gently, resting his head back on his knee when Derek takes his hand away. The contact left his skin feeling warm, even through his sweatpants.

“ _Great Expectations_ , how is your essay coming along?” Derek questions, leaning his back against the arm of the couch, his bare feet brushing against Stiles’.

“It’s good, I’ve got 11 pages so far.” Stiles shrugs lightly, he tried to work on it whenever he had the chance but lacrosse, his school work, and his social life made it difficult.

“I look forward to reading it.” Derek chuckles fondly, pressing his glasses back into place when they start to slip down his nose.

“I read your books, they’re really good.” Stiles admits, he had read both of them the first week of school after finding out all he could about Derek.

“Thank you, Stiles, I’m happy you enjoyed them.” Derek returns, his ears turning a light shade of red at the compliment.

“What is your advice to young writers?” Stiles questions, holding back his laughter when Derek smirks at him with a small roll of his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Drink, fuck and smoke plenty of cigarettes,” Derek finishes the quote, shaking his head when Stiles lets out a small string of giggles. “You planned that didn’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Stiles replies, hiding his smile in his knees.

“Sure, Stiles. Sure.” Derek snorts, letting out a small yawn that he covered up with his hand.

“Tired?” Stiles questions, his own yawn slipping out into the air.

“A little, I’m meeting Boyd and Jordan for brunch tomorrow, I should at least attempt to sleep.” Derek sighs, pulling his glasses off and setting them down next to his book.

“Tell them I said hello, and make sure they’re not letting my dad eat anything he’s not allowed to or I’ll have to come down to the station and make a scene.” Stiles replies, making Derek laugh lightly as he unfolds himself from the couch, stretching lightly as he does.

“As entertaining as that would be, I’ll make sure to talk to them about it.” Derek promises with a nod, his hand trailing over Stiles’ shoulder as he passes. “Goodnight, Stiles.”

“Goodnight, Derek.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“Dude, you killed it out there!” Scott cheers happily, slapping Stiles on the back in excitement. They had just won their game against Devenford 5-4 and Stiles had scored the winning goal with only three seconds left on the clock. They were all going out to Sandy’s to celebrate, the boy’s from Devenford tagging along even if Liam looked like he was sucking on a sour lemon after having lost.

“Thanks, Scotty, the extra practice is paying off.” Stiles smiles, because of his asthma Scott was only second string and didn’t get on the field much. Danny and Stiles were both first string thanks to Danny and Brett taking the time during the summer to help Stiles up his game, securing him a spot on first line.

“You all did wonderful, can we go eat now please?” Cora huffs impatiently, crossing her arms over her chest as she leans into Isaac’s side. Mason and Corey were the last to arrive, the fourteen of them heading into the diner that was already steadily getting busier. Sandy’s was one of the most popular restaurants in town and with the game having just ended a good portion of the town seemed to have the same idea on where to celebrate. Lydia lead them all over to two large tables that they pushed together, everyone pulling up a seat as a waitress came over and handed out menus. Stiles sat between Lydia and Cora, not bothering to look at the menu since he already knew what he wanted.

“I’m impressed, you did well tonight.” Lydia praises with a small smile, her eyes on the menu in front of her.

“Thanks, Lyds, I’m just glad-” Stiles cut off abruptly, his head whipping around when a familiar laugh sounded through the diner. Stiles eyes found him quickly, Derek’s head was thrown back as he laughed, the line of his throat bared. A soft red sweater with fucking thumbholes covering his chest and his beard trimmed neatly. Stiles smiled fondly at the sight, his chest feeling tighter before his eyes landed on the source of Derek’s laughter.

“Lydia,” Stiles hisses, his smile dropping as his muscles tensed up. The woman sitting across from Derek was beautiful, long curly blonde hair, tight curves hugged by a simple black dress. Her smile though, that had Stiles on high alert. She looked like a predator, her shiny pink lips stretched over perfect white teeth and her cold blue eyes looking hungry as they roamed over Derek’s unguarded face. Stiles didn’t like her and he sure s hell didn’t plan on letting her stay.

“I’m on it,” Lydia states, whipping out her phone and firing a text off to Jordan. Stiles clenched his hands into fists, tearing his eyes off the pair when he hears Lydia’s phone go off.

“Her name’s Kate, they met at the bar last weekend and hit it off. This is their second date.” Lydia mutters just loud enough for only him to hear, everyone else around the table engrossed in their own conversations.

“He never said anything to me.” Stiles and Derek had been talking even more since that night on the couch two weeks ago, Stiles had turned in his 20 page essay and had spent two hours in the Hale’s living room going over it with Derek while the girls were upstairs sleeping. They mainly talked about books or English but they had both started to open up more about their lives, Derek had even told him about the car crash that had killed his parents and how Laura had taken on the mantle of caregiver for Cora and himself.

“That’s because you two only talk in quotes, she looks familiar, I think she’s Allison’s aunt.” Lydia whispers back, biting her bottom lip in worry.

“What?” Stiles asks sharply, his eyes zeroing in on Kate once again. Stiles knew from Scott’s description of Allison’s family that the only sane ones were Allison and her dad, and even her dad was half and half sometimes.

“Hey Ally, isn’t that your aunt with Mr. Hale?” Lydia speaks up, gaining the attention of the whole table.

“What?” Cora and Allison say at the same time, both of them turning in the direction Lydia pointed to.

“Oh no.” Allison whispers, making Stiles sit up straighter in his seat.

“Oh no? Why oh no?” Cora questions, her glare redirecting from Kate to her niece. Stiles was glad Cora didn’t seem to like the fact her brother was on a date anymore than he did.

“Kate...well she’s-she’s awesome but-” Allison cut herself off, her eyes dropping down to the table.

“But what?” Cora growls, looking about two seconds away from going over there and dragging Derek out of the building. Stiles kind of hopes she will, Kate sounded like bad news rolled in terrible judgment.

“She goes through guys like Lydia does shoes.” Allison admits timidly, making Stiles scowl darkly. Lydia bought new shoes at least once a week.

“Fucking idiot, it’s like he tries to find the shittiest people.” Cora groans, shaking her head at her brother’s apparent shit taste in life partners.

“What do you mean?” Danny pipes up, looking curious.

“He has the worst dating history, everyone he dates is either a cheater or is just with him because he’s hot. He pours his whole fucking heart out and gets it crushed every time.” Cora explains in frustration, scowling when Kate starts to giggle obnoxiously at whatever Derek just said.

“That’s her fake laugh.” Allison whines, looking like a kicked puppy. Her words making everyone at the table tense up. They all had agreed that Mr. Hale was the groups favorite after he had caught them drinking last weekend and hadn’t even yelled at them, just took car keys from everyone that had been drinking and told them they would be staying the night. He had even made them all breakfast the next morning.

“What’s the plan?” Lydia questions, looking from Stiles to Cora with raised eyebrows.

“We’re getting her out of the picture,” Cora states hotly as Isaac rubs a hand over her back soothingly.

“How?” Kira questions, side-eyeing Derek and Kate out of the corner of her eye.

“Let me handle it.” Stiles nods, his mind already working on a plan as he speaks. No way he was going to let this blonde bitch get her claws into Derek, not if he had anything to say about it.

“Um, I should tell you, I-I heard her talking to my dad about looking for someone-someone who could help her, um, _financially_.” Allison mumbles, her hair falling into her face as she stares down at her hands.

“So she’s a gold digger, I mean it’s not like a high school English teacher makes a lot, Mr. H doesn’t really fit her criteria.” Theo shrugs, one arm thrown over the back of Liam’s chair.

“They have insurance money from their parents and he’s a published author.” Stiles spits out, his blood boiling. This was just getting better and better.

“Fuck,” Isaac sighs, glaring at Kate before turning his attention back to a seething Cora.

“Allison, Danny, I’m going to need your assistance, if you’re willing.” Stiles says, unclenching his hands slowly to try and regain some composer. He couldn’t go into this angry, he need things to work in his favor.

“Anything,” Allison replies instantly, Danny nodding in agreement.

“Sorry about the wait, what can I get you guys to drink?” Their waitress smiles as she comes to stand at the head of the table, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen. Everyone orders quickly, the tension still heavy in the air, stealing glances of the couple every few seconds.

“What are you going to do?” Lydia whispers to him after they had placed their orders. Stiles let his eyes rest on the pair in the corner, Derek and Kate smiling at one another as they ate their food, Kate’s foot sliding over Derek’s calf under the table. Stiles’ jaw clenched hard enough to hurt, his eyes cold as he turned his head to meet Lydia’s gaze.

“Whatever I need to.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” Stiles groans as Lydia draws a small heart underneath his left eye. The trio were getting ready in Cora’s room for the Halloween party Brett was throwing tonight. Lydia had wanted to throw a party at her house but her parents were having their own so the redhead had demanded Brett let her help organize the decorations and guest list.

“You’re the one who wanted to go as comic book characters.” Cora reminds, smacking her lips together to rub the blood red lipstick evenly over her lips. They were all dressed already, Cora in a black [bodysuit ](https://www.halloweencostumes.com/deluxe-dark-knight-catwoman-costume.html)with cat ears perched in her hair, knee-high boots on her legs and a mask covering her face.

“Yeah like Batman or the Joker.” Stiles huffs, getting a slap on the chest from Lydia for moving. Lydia was decked out in a tight green [dress](https://www.halloweencostumes.com/womens-lethal-beauty-costume.html) covered in fake leaves, fishnet tights with ivy vines running the length of her legs and tall stiletto heels. Her hair was hanging in loose curls around her face, her makeup lighter than her actual skin tone with hints of green glitter dusted on.

“You’re the one who had the bat, it was meant to be.” Cora shrugs, looking over Stiles’ outfit with a smirk while Lydia smeared red lipstick over his mouth carelessly. Stiles was dressed as [Harley Quinn](https://www.halloweencostumes.com/deluxe-suicide-squad-harley-quinn-costume.html) in blue and red booty shorts, fishnets, and the signature ‘ _Daddy’s Lil Monster_ ’ white crop top and varsity jacket. He had vetoed the trashy wig but had let them snap the puddin choker around his neck and do his makeup. Cora had painted his bat for him to match the one in the movie and Lydia had let him wear his white converse instead of the heels so he should be thankful he was getting off light.

“We look amazing, stop whining.” Lydia scolds, pulling back to look over her work, a pleased smile on her face. Stiles shot a glance in the mirror and had to admit he looked badass. His makeup looked just like Margot Robbie’s did in the movie, Lydia did excellent work.

“Are you sure you don’t want to wear the wig?” Cora questions, holding it up towards Stiles.

“I would get chewed out by five different drag queens if I showed face in that, it looks way to fake,” Stiles states with a shake of his head. He had thought about spraying his hair red and blue but had decided against it.

“You look better without it.” Lydia nods as she packs up her makeup. Stiles stands up and pulls on his jacket, looking himself over in the full body mirror on Cora’s closet door. Cherry had bought him a sleeve so his dick wasn’t straining against the tight shorts and it was paying off. Stiles stuck his ass out and gave it a little shake, humming in approval.

“Hey, I’m about to head out I- _oh_ -um-” Stiles turns around at Derek’s voice, seeing the man staring at him with wide eyes, his mouth dropped open slightly and a light blush covering his cheeks. Stiles smirked to himself, maybe letting the girl’s pick his costume could work in his favor if Derek’s reaction was anything to go by.

“Please tell me Jordan is dressing as Sandy,” Stiles pleads as he takes in Derek’s outfit. He was in black jeans and a tight white shirt, a leather jacket Stiles has seen him wear on the weekends over his shoulders and his hair gelled back artfully.

“Uh, no he’s going as a firefighter I think, Kate’s going as Sandy,” Derek replies tearing his eyes off Stiles, closing his mouth with a small shake of his head. All three of the teens tensed up at the mention of Kate. Derek had told Cora about her after the night at the diner a week ago, telling her how wonderful the blonde was and how well they got along. Cora had pretended to be supportive while Stiles got his plan into motion. Stiles had assigned Allison to record anything she heard about Derek and send it to Stiles but there hadn’t been much progress yet.

“You three look great, Birds of Prey, fitting.” Derek coughs when the silence had gone on for too long, stuffing his hands into his pockets, his eyes flicking back to Stiles. “Aren’t you going to get cold going out like that though?”

“That’s what the alcohol is for,” Lydia informs him as she fixes her glovelettes, her blood red manicure glistening in the light as she flexed her fingers.

“You’re going to be drinking?” Derek questions with a frown, looking between the three of them for an answer.

“We were just going to crash at Brett’s,” Cora shrugs, her eyes on her phone. Probably texting Isaac.

“I can pick you up afterward, I don’t want any of you getting taken advantage of while drunk.” Derek offers, his frown deepening at his own words.

“Will you take us to breakfast in the morning?” Stiles questions with raised eyebrows. Stiles didn’t think spending the night at Brett’s would leave them vulnerable but if it made Derek feel better to have them here he wasn’t going to argue.

“Since I know you all won’t be up till after noon we’ll make it lunch.” Derek nods, a small smile making its way onto his lips, Stiles sending one of his own back.

“Deal, how long were you going to be out?”

“I’m DD tonight so it just depends when Erica will demand to be taken home, keep your phone on you and I’ll text you when I’ve gotten everyone home or whenever you three are ready to call it a night,” Derek answers, his eyes flickering over Stiles’ body. “Where are you going to keep your phone?”

“That is an excellent question, why doesn’t women’s clothing have pockets?” Stiles groans, getting obnoxious snorts from both girls.

“I’ve been asking myself that question for years, Sweetie, why do you think I have so many purses.” Lydia hums, tucking her own phone into her bra.

“See that’s so not fair! I can’t even do that with mine.” Stiles cries, waving his hands at Lydia’s chest with a pout.

“We could stuff a bra,” Cora suggests with a shrug making Lydia grin devilishly.

“Look what you started!” Stiles hisses at Derek who’s eyes were back to being saucers.

“It’s not always running away. To leave.” Derek quotes, backing out of the room as Cora goes to her dresser to pull out a white bra.

“Don’t think you can get out of this by quoting _The Raven King_ at me! Do you know how hard I had to fight to get out of wearing heels?” Stiles hisses, fighting a smile seeing Derek’s playful grin from the hallway.

“To exist here, I’ll have to become skilled in saying no—an art in which I was once well accomplished, but one I no longer care to practice.” Derek waves as he turns to leave, Stiles huffing at his back.

“ _Outside In_ , clever!” Stiles yells after him, glaring at Cora as she comes over with the garment in hand.

“No, I’ll hold it all night if I have to, I’m not wearing that.”

“Fine, don’t complain all night then.” Cora shrugs, throwing the bra onto the dresser without care.

“Let’s get going, Danny’s here to pick us up,” Lydia states as she pulls her phone back out, sending a text back quickly before ushering the two out of the room, Stiles grabbing his bat off the bed.

The party is already in full swing when they arrive, cars parked up and down the street while loud hip hop music blasts from Brett’s backyard. Danny was dressed as Gaston and had informed the three of them that Brett and he didn’t do couple costumes and Brett was in his dad’s old Army uniform. The backyard was decked out in fake spider webs, black and orange balloons, fake tombstones, and skulls scattered around.

“Oh my God Stiles, I can’t believe they talked you into it.” Kira squeals upon seeing them, hugging each of them in turn while Malia smirked behind her.

“Malia where’s your costume?” Stiles questions with his own smirk, getting an eye roll from the girl. Malia was dressed as the devil complete with horns and a tail while Kira was an angel with glittery white wings. It was very fitting for the couple.

“Need an excuse to flaunt your daddy kink, Stilinski?” Malia replies, nodding to his shirt.

“Never hurts to advertise,” Stiles shrugs carelessly, accepting the solo cup Kira hands him gratefully.

“ _Wow_ ,” Theo snorts as he comes over with an already tipsy Liam in toll, both of their faces flushed from the alcohol.

“Are you guys trying to give me nightmares?” Stiles groans as he takes in their costumes, Theo in an orange jumpsuit and Liam in a police uniform.

“Could ask you the same, I did not ask to see that much of your ass.” Theo fires back, taking a drink from his cup with an unimpressed eyebrow raise.

“You’re just jealous he can pull it off,” Cora states, grinning when she spots Isaac coming over with Scott and Allison. Isaac had gone all out with his plaid shirt and cowboy hat while Scott was dressed as a gangster and Allison was in a flapper girl dress, the couple giggling to each other as they stumbled over.

“Hey babe,” Isaac greets Cora, ducking down to place a kiss on the girl’s lips.

“Hey,” Cora smiles, tucking herself into the taller boy’s side with an arm wrapped around the boy’s waist.

“Where’s Mason and Corey?” Liam asks, lifting his head from where it was resting against Theo’s shoulder. Stiles was happy the two had finally stopped dancing around each other but hadn’t realized how sickeningly cute they would be once they got together.

“Over there having a lightsaber fight,” Malia answers with another eye roll, pointing to the corner where the couple was indeed engaged in an epic battle dressed as Finn and Kylo Ren.

“Awesome,” Liam slurs, dragging Theo by the arm over to the couple, Theo following easily.

“I’m gonna go find Brett,” Danny tells them before disappearing into the crowd, Malia and Kira following after him to join the people dancing by the pool.

“Remind me again why I’m single?” Lydia hums as Isaac and Cora make their way towards the snack table. Scott and Allison whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears next to them.

“Because the men we want are just out of reach,” Stiles sighs, drowning the rest of his drink as he thinks about what Derek must be doing right now with Kate.

“Incredibly rude of them, if I do say so.” Lydia tuts, taking Stiles by the hand and leading him to the drinks. There was a fake cauldron filled with some kind of punch sitting in the middle of the table, bottles of different kinds of alcohol littering the rest of the table. “Let’s get drunk and pretend they don’t exist. Live a little.”

“I can get behind that,” Stiles nods in agreement, letting her pour them both three shots each while he mixes them drinks. He could use a night off from pining for Derek, what better night than Halloween.

“To our ridiculous taste in hot older men.” Stiles cheers, holding up his first shot, knocking it against Lydia’s gently.

“To getting drunk,” Lydia counters, downing her shot quickly and grabbing the next, Stiles doing the same. They finish their shots easily, grabbing their drinks and heading out to join Malia and Kira to dance. Stiles lets himself go, the alcohol in his system making him fuzzy and his limbs lose as he dances with Lydia. Stiles lets the music wash over him, his hips swaying in time with the beat and his head tilted back, his hands on Lydia’s waist as the grind together.

“I’m gonna grab another drink,” Stiles tells the redhead after about half an hour of none stop dancing, getting a nod from the girl as he makes his way over to the table filled with bottles and solo cups.

“What are you drinking?”

Stiles turns his head to see a tan boy with messy blonde hair behind him dressed as a pirate, one blue eye cover by an eyepatch while most of his chest was exposed under his tunic.

“Crown and coke, you?” Stiles answers with a flirty smile as he grabs the crown. The guy was attractive but not his cup of tea, but Stiles never was one to turn down an opportunity to flirt.

“I’m a beer man myself,” The guy smiles as Stiles pours just the right amount of coke into his cup. “I’m Ryan,”

“Stiles,” Stiles nods, sipping at his drink as he turns around to face Ryan fully, his tongue running over his bottom lip when he pulled his cup away.

“Wanna dance?” Ryan asks, nodding towards the makeshift dance floor, his eye on Stiles’ mouth.

“If you can keep up,” Stiles smirks back, leading the boy over towards the dance floor, letting his hips sway just a tad bit more than usual.

They danced for a while, Ryan’s hands on Stiles’ hips as they moved to the beat. They were about the same height, Ryan’s hot breath tickling Stiles’ ear as they danced, Stiles back to the blonde’s front. Stiles tried his best to get into it but found himself getting annoyed as Ryan’s hands started to dip lower trying to palm at his ass. Stiles sighs to himself and pulls away, sending a fleeting smile over his shoulder as he pushed his way further into the crowd. He found Lydia dancing with a muscular brunette dressed as Prince Eric and winked at her as he passed, letting himself get back into the music after drowning the rest of his drink.

The night went on in a similar fashion, guys coming up and dancing with him trying to cop a feel only for Stiles to pull away and find a new partner. He filled his drink a few more times and was pleasantly drunk by the time Brett and Danny found him on the dance floor, a tall dark-haired boy with Joker makeup behind them.

“There you are! We’ve been looking for you, I wanted you to meet my friend, Ty, Ty this is Stiles.” Brett shouts over the music, waving a hand towards the tall boy behind him. Stiles let his eyes roam over the well-built body. The guy, Ty, was shirtless showing off his fake tattoos and a set of smooth abs, a pair of sinfully tight black jeans hugging his lower half. There was a green tint to Ty’s dark hair but not enough to hide the true color, the makeup on his face smudged slightly from sweat. Stiles couldn’t help the small spark of interest that zipped through him, the guy was definitely Stiles type if you factored out age.

“Come to dance with me, Puddin?” Stiles questions, tilting his head to the side as Ty smirked down at him, taking a step closer as his green eyes ranked over Stiles’ body in interest.

“Yes please,”

“You two have fun,” Danny grins, sending Stiles a wink before taking Brett by the hand, leaving Ty and Stiles in the middle of the crowd together.

“You pull that outfit off better than Robbie,” Ty states as he steps into Stiles’ personal space, one warm hand coming up to rest on Stiles’ bare waist.

“Mhh, you know how to sweet talk a guy, that’s quite high praise,” Stiles replies in a husky voice, wrapping both his arms around Ty’s shoulders, pulling their bodies flush together as they started to find a rhythm.

“I give credit when it’s due,” Ty shrugs, his breathing fanning over Stiles’ face hotly. Stiles had to crank his neck up a little to keep the eye contact, Ty a good few inches taller than him.

“I’d compliment your costume but I might just end up ranting about how nice your abs are.” Stiles hums, getting a flirty smile in return.

“You sweet talking me? All that chit chat's gonna get ya hurt.” Ty quotes in a very convincing Joker impersonation. Stiles bit his bottom lip, pressing his hips forward as they grinded together.

“How’d you know I was a sucker for movie quotes? Sexy and intelligent is a dangerous package.”

“You must be deadly than,” Ty replies without missing a beat, their noses bumping together gently as Stiles leans in closer.

“Let's hope you've got insurance,” Stiles whispers before he brings their lips together in a filthy kiss, his fingers tangling into Ty’s hair as he slips his tongue into the taller boy’s mouth. Ty groans softly in the back of his throat, one hand reaching down to grab a handful of Stiles’ ass. Stiles bucks his hips forward at the touch, tugging on a handful of hair as they move together, the kiss getting heated quickly. Stiles tries to press himself closer but there was already no space left between their bodies, Ty’s hands running over the length of his backside, using his grip to rock their hips together in a dirty grind.

“I’m about two seconds away from climbing you like a tree,” Stiles gasps when they finally break apart, their foreheads pressed together as they try to catch their breath.

“You wanna find a room?” Ty asks, bending down to mouth at the hollow of Stiles’ neck. Stiles groans as Ty starts to suck on the heated skin, Stiles mind playing a silent tug of war. He wasn’t looking for a quick fuck, especially for his first time but this was also the best option he’s ever had. The guy was exactly what he’s been looking for, tall, muscular with perfect abs, dark hair and pretty eyes and-

“ _Fuck_ ,” Stiles curses squeezing his eyes shut, finally understanding why this guy was so appealing. He was a younger version of Derek, the very person Stiles was trying his best not to thing about tonight. Here Stiles was trying to get his mind off his teacher and he had jumped the first guy that shared similar features to him. The selling point had been the damn movie quote Ty had said.

“Fuck, I can’t I’m sorry, you’re- _fuck_ -you’re hot like burning and an amazing kisser and your mouth is doing wonderful things right now but-”

“You already have a Joker,” Ty sighs, pulling away from Stiles’ neck but not backing away fully.

“I’m sorry,” Stiles whispers, the buzz he had going seeming to die along with the moment.

“I get it, just went through a pretty bad break up myself, thought finding someone to hook up with would help,” Ty responds with a small smile, leaning in to peck Stiles lightly on the lips.

“You reminded me of him,”

“Yeah, so did you.” Stiles sighs, resting his head against Ty’s shoulder. At least he didn’t have to kick himself the rest of the night for leaving the guy hanging.

“Can I give you my number? You know, if you ever wanna talk or hang out, you seem pretty cool.” Ty mutters in Stiles’ ear, the two of them swaying together despite the upbeat music.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Stiles nods, pulling out his phone from where he had shoved it in the side of his shorts, handing it over to the boy. Ty put his number in and sent a text to himself before giving the device back with a smile.

“If he doesn’t come around, call me?”

“I can do that,” Stiles smiles back, pushing up onto his toes to give the boy one last kiss. “I go to Jungle sometimes with Brett and Danny, you should join us next time.”

“Sounds fun, just let me know when.” Ty nods running a hand through his matted hair. Stiles goes to reply when his phone buzzes in his hand catching his attention.

 

**From Derek: I just dropped Boyd and Erica off, you guys ready to go home?**

**To Derek: Yeah I think so, let me find the girls and I’ll send you the address**

 

“That him?” Ty questions making Stiles look up from his phone.

“How’d you know?”

“You got this smile on your face, happy but sad at the same time,” Ty explains earning a heavy sigh from Stiles.

“That obvious?”

“Only if you know what you’re talking about, did you guys break up?”

“Much more complicated than that sadly,” Stiles winces, shaking his head at what his life had become. Here he was turning down the perfect guy because his heart was already taken by his English teacher, his life, seriously.

“Maybe you could tell me about it sometime?” Ty suggests, shoving his hands into the pockets of his tight jeans. Stiles missed pockets, he didn’t understand how girls did it.

“Careful what you wish for, I could making a tv show about this shit storm,” Stiles warns, getting a small laugh in response.

“Don’t worry, I love a good drama series.”

“We can get coffee or something then, I’ll text you, I gotta go find Catwoman and Ivy now.” Stiles nods with a soft smile, stepping forward to give Ty a quick hug before waving goodbye and heading off the dance floor to find Cora and Lydia. At least he had made a friend.

“Hey, Derek’s on his way,” Stiles voices when he finds Lydia with Kira and Malia by the drink table, the redhead swaying slightly on her feet looking out of it.

“You guys seen Cora?” Stiles asks the two girls as he wraps an arm around Lydia’s waist to support the giggling girl.

“Try the living room,” Malia answers, waving towards the house. Stiles nods in thanks, herding Lydia into the house in search of Cora. They find her napping on the couch with Isaac, both of them having lost their headgear as they snuggle up to each other.

 

**To Derek: Coco’s asleep and Lyds is out of it, might need help getting them in the car**

**From Derek: I’m almost there I’ll grab Cora, how is Isaac getting home?**

**To Derek: He’s staying here with Malia and Kira, they’ll take care of him**

**From Derek: Okay, I’m outside**

 

“C’mon Lyds, Der’s here,” Stiles mutters to the girl as he leads her to the front door and out onto the driveway where Derek was climbing out of the Camaro.

“I’m glad one of you were responsible,” Derek sighs as Stiles loads Lydia into the back seat.

“Someone had to be,” Stiles shrugs, leading Derek back into the house for Cora. Derek smiled softly upon seeing his sister, leaning down to untangled her from Isaac so he could scoop her up into his arms.

“I’ll get the door,” Stiles mutters, his heart clenching at the sight. Stiles knew the two were close but seeing Derek carry a sleeping Cora out of the house like it was an everyday thing was something else.

“So, did you guys have fun?” Derek asks once everyone was in the car, the girls leaning on each other in the back as they slept. Lydia had knocked out the second she had gotten into the car.

“I think they did, we all kinda split up to do our own thing,” Stiles shrugs picking at a loose thread on his fishnets, wishing he had drank more himself.

“What about you?” Derek questions as they make their way down the road.

“Mostly danced, made out with a guy dressed as Joker but it didn’t go anywhere, wasn’t into it but I got his number since he seemed cool, told him I’d text him.” Stiles replies offhandedly, pulling one leg up onto the seat to hug to his chest. He was tired and ready to get out of this outfit, it was passed 2 in the morning and he was looking forward to sleeping.

“Oh,” Derek mutters quietly, his eyes forward as he made a left turn towards the Hale house.

“What about you? Have fun?” Stiles questions, tilting his head to get a better look at the older man. He looked about as tired as Stiles felt.

“It was good, I was the only sober one though so I was mainly making sure no one brained themselves on the bar.”

“It’s a great advantage not to drink among hard-drinking people.” Stiles hums.

“ _The Great Gatsby_ , it was interesting, if not a challenge.”

“At least we can all go sleep now, I’m looking forward to our lunch plans,” Stiles yawns, blinking slowly as they pull up to the house, Derek parking next to Stiles’ jeep.

“Did you drink?” Derek questions as he shuts off the car, handing the keys over to Stiles.

“Yah but I hold my alcohol better than they do, sobered up a little while ago, probably going to feel it in the morning though,” Stiles answers as he unbuckles his seatbelt.

“Hangovers are a vivid form of vengeance,” Derek quotes as he carefully removes Cora from the back seat.

“ _The Rapture_ , I can get Cora dressed if you wanna grab Lydia after,” Stiles offers as he unlocks the front door, pushing it open to let Derek through.

“Sounds good,” Derek nods as he heads upstairs with Cora, Stiles trailing behind him. Derek sets her down gently on her bed, heading back for Lydia as Stiles fights to get her out of her skin-tight costume. Stiles puts her in an oversized shirt she favors, grabbing a makeup wipe just as Derek comes back in with Lydia tucked into his chest.

“I can do that if you want to help Lydia,” Derek offers as he lies the redhead down next to Cora.

“Sure,” Stiles nods, passing the wipe to Derek so he can start working on getting the girl’s accessories off, leaving the dress on until Derek leaves.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were an honorary girl,” Derek mutters as he wipes the lipstick off of Cora’s mouth, Stiles grabbing another wipe to take off the redhead’s makeup.

“I don’t mind dressing like this, but everyone makes it out to be more of a joke than anything. That’s not what it is for me though, makes me feel good, knowing I can look hot when I want to.” Stiles replies, trying to get as much of the glitter off of Lydia’s face as he can without being too rough.

“Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are.” Derek mumbles as he grabs a small bottle of lotion off of Cora’s vanity, squeezing a drop into his hand, avoiding Stiles’ eye.

“ _I Am the Messenger_ ,” Stiles whispers, his throat tightening as he takes in the words. Derek had just told him he was beautiful, not for how he looks or dressed or how he spoke but just how he was as a person.

“Beauty is subjective. You know how sometimes what makes a person attractive is the way they make you laugh or how it seems like they can read your mind?” Derek looks up at Stiles’ words from where he was massaging the lotion into Cora’s skin, his hazel eyes seeming to stare into Stiles’ soul as their eyes lock.

“ _The Crown_ ,” Derek seems to hesitate over his next words, his hands dropping to his side as they stare at one another. “You don’t need those clothes to look good, Stiles, if people can’t see that it’s their own loss. That boy, the Joker, he’d be lucky to get a chance to see just how wonderful your mind really is.”

“He’s not what I want, he just reminded me of what I do,” Stiles states softly, watching as Derek bites his lip, the skin turning white under the pressure.

“It's as if I've stepped off the edge of a cliff, and even though my heart's in my mouth and my stomach is in knots, I'm the most excited I've ever been in my life.” Derek quotes his voice just over a whisper. Stiles sucks in a harsh breath as Derek’s unsaid words hit him.

“ _It's as if I've stepped off the edge of a cliff, and even though my heart's in my mouth and my stomach is in knots, I'm the most excited I've ever been in my life. I'm totally enthralled by him. I want him, every part of him, and I desperately want him to feel the same way about me.”_

“ _Rebellion_ , Derek,” Stiles whispers, his hands clenching the forgotten makeup wipe in his hand as he stares at the man in front of him, trying not to let the hope in his chest grow.

“You should get some rest, it’s late,” Derek replies standing up, breaking their eye contact as he makes his way towards the door.

“Derek,” Stiles repeats, his voice cracking as he watches the man walk away. Stiles didn’t know what to think, didn’t know what to do. His heart was beating like crazy in his chest, his palms sweating, sitting next to his two best friends in a stupid Harley Quinn costume while the man that had consumed his every thought for the past three months just indirectly told him he wanted him too or so Stiles hoped. Derek was walking away from him, his face turned up as if he was in pain, his eyes tired and sad as he turned to look at Stiles from the doorway.

“Go to sleep, Stiles.”

“The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.” Stiles hurries to say, balling his hands into fists as Derek shuts his eyes, seeming to collect himself.

“ _War and Peace_ ,” Derek nods, glancing at Stiles before turning his gaze back to the open doorway, his next words directed at the dark hallway in front of him. “How can one be well...when one suffers morally?”

Stiles drops his head, blinking back the wetness in his eyes, the little hope he had in him dying out. Derek was right, it didn’t matter how either of them felt, they couldn’t do anything about it. Not while Stiles was 17 and Derek was his teacher. The confirmation of the matter hurt like hell though, like a burning ache in his heart that only seemed to grow bigger, hotter, destroying him from the inside out.

“When in doubt, my dear fellow, do nothing.” Stiles mutters sadly, looking up under his lashes to see his own pain mirrored on Derek’s face. Stiles sucked in a shaky breath trying to bury the feelings threatening to rip out of his body as he lifts his head up enough to fully meet Derek’s eye. “Goodnight, Mr. Hale.”

“Goodnight, Stiles.” Derek whispers back softly before turning on his heels and leaving the room, shutting the door behind him, leaving Stiles sitting on the edge of the bed with unshed tears, the world still spinning even if Stiles felt like it was crashing down around him.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Stiles tried not to let himself dwell on the night, going about his life as if nothing had changed. He still hung out with the girls all the time, still went to Mr. Hale’s room during his free period talking and helping the man grade papers. They both acted like nothing had happened, like there wasn’t a black cloud of emotions hanging over their heads. Stiles spent more time on the lacrosse field with Danny after school, pouring his anger and frustration into training. It had been two weeks since Halloween and Thanksgiving break was approaching fast, Cora had informed him her sister was flying in with her husband for the holiday and that both Stiles and his dad were invited over for dinner along with Jordan, Isaac, Boyd, and Erica. Lydia would be spending the day with her extended family but was going to come over after dinner so the three of them could go Black Friday shopping in the next town over.

It was the Saturday before their two day school week started, Stiles and Lydia having spent the night at Cora’s for their Friday sleepover, the three of them getting ready to go meet up with the group for lunch and ice skating afterward.

“Are you guys almost ready?” Stiles calls up the stairs from his spot on the couch where he was texting Ty. The two had hung out a few times since the party, getting coffee or messing around on the lacrosse field with Danny and Brett. They had become good friends in the coming weeks, Stiles hadn’t told him everything about his situation with Derek but enough for the boy to know it was a very complicated mess. Ty had told him about his ex Dalton who had broken up with him after three years for another guy.

“Hey there,” Stiles looks up at the female voice, trying not to let the scowl threatening to appear show when he meets Kate’s eyes. Kate had been coming around more and more over the past few weeks, much to the trio’s growing annoyance. Allison hadn’t gotten any real evidence they could use against her aunt yet but Stiles had found a way to make sure Kate was exposed for being a gold digger and had been waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

“Hey,” Stiles replies, taking in her workout clothes and sweaty appearance. Derek and Kate had been working out in the basement for about an hour now, the blonde having arrived early in the morning when Cora and Stiles had been making breakfast for everyone.

“You guys going out?” Kate questions, sipping on her water bottle as she leaned against the door frame.

“Yeah, lunch date.” Stiles nods, keeping his words short.

“How cute,” Kate coos, her voice bordering on mocking. Stiles plasters on a fake smile, sitting up to turn towards her fully.

“Yah, I’m not sure when we’ll be back but I can text you, _you know,_ in case you and Mr. Hale want the house to yourselves for a bit.” Stiles offers with a shrug.

“Mhh, I like the way you think,” Kate hums with a smirk, pulling her phone out and unlocking it, handing it over to Stiles. “Put your number in,”

Stiles takes the phone with a small nod, programming his number in as Cora and Lydia come down the stairs. He sends them a look, his eyes going from the phone to Kate quickly.

“Hey Kate, did you get new highlights?” Lydia questions the woman, pulling her attention away from Stiles. Stiles clicked the home button fast, going into settings to find the woman’s ICloud account as Kate confirms that she did in fact get highlights earlier in the week. Stiles memorizes the account name, swiping away settings as he stands up.

“It’s in there, just shoot me a text so I have yours as well.” Stiles says as he hands the women back her phone.

“Thanks, kid.” Kate winks making Stiles want to gag. “I better get back down there, you guys have fun.”

“See yah,” Cora waves as Kate heads towards the basement door, the brunette turning to Stiles as soon as Kate was out of sight. “Did you get it?”

“Yep, lets go,” Stiles nods, grabbing his jacket off the couch as the three of them make their way to the door. Stiles tosses the keys to Lydia as he pulls out his phone, logging into the spy app Danny had showed him and typing in Kate’s ICloud information as they pile into the jeep.

“I’m in, lets see what she’s been up to.” Stiles hums as he clicks on Kate’s Whatsapp.

“There better be something on there, Der asked if I’d be okay with her coming to Thanksgiving yesterday,” Cora huffs from the backseat, her head propped over the seat to look over Stiles’ shoulder.

“Fucking harpy, listen to this, _‘He’s lucky he’s so damn attractive I can’t stand listening to him talk about his loser friends all the time and don’t even get me started on his fucking book talk-he bores me to tears most of the time_ ’.” Stiles growls when he finds the text thread between Kate and her friend.

“That _bitch_ ,” Lydia spits, Cora practically raging behind them.

“They get worse, God we should have just cut her breaks.” Stiles seethes as he reads further into the conversation, his anger rising as he takes in the words.

“I’d rather set her on fire, more painful.” Cora sneers in anger, Lydia nodding seriously in agreement.

“What are you going to do?” Lydia asks as she turns the corner, her grip on the steering wheel turning her skin white. They had been waiting for weeks to get the opportunity to dig up dirt on the women, having to deal with her on almost a daily basis knowing she wasn’t actually interested in Derek.

“I can screenshot the text and send them to him from her phone or we can print them off.” Stiles suggests. He knew Derek was going to have to see the texts to believe Kate was only with him for his money, he just wished there was another way so they could spare his feelings.

“Screenshot them, make it look like an accident.” Lydia replies as they stop at a red light.

“Is she on her phone right now?” Cora questions.

“Yah, she’s texting this girl right now.” Stiles nods, scowling darkly as he watches the words appear on the screen.

“Do it now,” Cora instructs him, cursing under her breath when she sees the text Kate just sent. Stiles screenshots three parts of the conversation, clicking on Derek’s contact and sending the pictures to him quickly from Kate’s phone.

“Done,” Stiles announces, logging out of the app now that their work was finished.

“We really need to have a talk with him about his choice in women.” Lydia hums, taking a right in the direction of the diner.

“Tell me about it, he has the worst taste.” Cora groans, flopping back in her seat.

“He’s got a big heart, people pray on that.” Stiles sighs deeply as Lydia pulls into the parking lot of Sandy’s.

“He just needs to find the right person,” Lydia replies as she turns off the car, sending Stiles a pointed look. “Now c’mon, we need to celebrate a Kate free Thanksgiving,”

“Amen to that.” Cora cheers as they exit the jeep, linking their arms together as they head into the diner.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) You probably hate me and you don't even know what I have planned for the rest of the story, let me know what you think! I love reading your comments if it wasn't for all the love this fic was getting it would probably have just been a one-shot so I appreciate the support!


	4. Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a lot of fun with this fic, thank you to everyone who comments it gives me the push I need to continue working on it! I hope you like this next part...

Monday morning brings dark skies and heavy rain with it, the weather cold and wet with winter approaching. The rest of the weekend had gone by fast, Stiles spending Sunday watching football with his dad on the couch. It had been nice to get some one on one time with his dad, their busy schedules hardly ever lining up enough for them to spend more than an hour or two at home together. Cora had texted the group chat to let them know Derek had broken up with Kate Saturday and that the older man was being unnaturally quiet. Derek hadn’t said much in class, letting everyone know the next two days would be for reading _The Crucible_ since he knew no one was going to read it over the five day break. Stiles had put a dent in his own reading, _Madame Bovary_ , that Derek had assigned him after he finished _Great Expectations_. The rest of the morning had been the same, his teachers giving them free time during class since there wasn’t any point in starting a new chapter with only two days of classes.

“Hey, Coco told me Laura’s flying in tomorrow, you excited?” Stiles greets Mr. Hale as he enters the room for his free period. Derek was sitting at his desk in a soft cream sweater and black slacks, his glasses perched on his nose as he typed on his computer.

“Yeah,” Derek answers shortly, sparing Stiles a small glance as the boy took his seat in the front row.

“You okay? You’re quiet today.” Stiles comments even if he was already aware of why Derek was being distant.

“I’m fine, Stiles.” Derek responds with a small sigh, his eyes back on his computer screen.

“Alright,” Stiles nods carefully, not wanting to push the man to talk about it. Stiles pulled out his book, opening it to the page he had left off on. They sat in silence for a while, the only sound in the room the soft press of keys and the turning of pages. Stiles had gotten three chapters into his reading before Derek’s voice was pulling him back to the present.

“I broke up with Kate,” Derek states frowning. “She was only with me for superficial reasons, she wasn’t actually interested in me.”

“When someone leaves, it’s because someone else is about to arrive.” Stiles recites, his heart aching at the devastated look on Derek’s face. “Don’t let her get to you if she can’t see what an amazing person you are than you’re better off without her.”

“ _The Zahir_ , she didn’t seem to find me so amazing, quite the opposite,” Derek mumbles sadly, his eyes on his hand that was fiddling with a pen.

“She’s a fucking idiot than if she can’t see how wonderful you are. You’re an incredible teacher, you’re intelligent, funny as hell, you’re the best older brother in the fucking world, like do you know how much Coco fucking adores you? Same with your friends, Jordan _thanked_ me for introducing you guys, said you’re one of the nicest people he’s ever met let alone have the pleasure to get to know. All of my friends agree you’re the coolest parental figure we have, you care about all of us, you take care of us when we're drunk and crying in your backyard even though you have no obligation. You’re everything anyone could ever ask for and more and if that fucking harpe can’t see that then you’re better off without her.” Stiles rants passionately, his anger flaring up seeing how badly Kate’s scheme had affected the man.

“Human beings need loyalty. It does not necessarily produce happiness, and can even be painful, but we all require devotion to something more than ourselves for our lives to be endurable. Without it, we have only our desires to guide us, and they are fleeting, capricious, and insatiable.” Derek quotes after a long pause, his eyes running over Stiles’ face with fond but sorrowful eyes.

“ _Being Mortal_ , you deserve loyalty, God, you deserve the whole fucking world and she would have never given it to you.” Stiles runs a hand over his hair in frustration, his emotions getting the better of him. He couldn’t stand to just sit here while Derek beat himself up thinking he wasn't good enough for some bitch. Derek deserved so much better, someone who knew what kind of person he was, knew how much he cared about his sisters and his work and his love for reading. Someone who would look at him like he had hung the moon and the stars, someone to notice just how incredible he really was.

Stiles wanted to be that person, he wanted to wake up every morning laying beside Derek, kiss his sleepy face, cook breakfast together and talk about the latest books they had read. He wanted to hold the man’s hand and tell him every little detail that drew Stiles to him while they cuddled on the couch. He couldn’t have that though, not right now, maybe not ever.

“Waiting hurts. Forgetting hurts. But not knowing which decision to take can sometimes be the most painful...” Derek says softly, his hazel eyes shining with longing as he stares into Stiles’ own eyes.

“Time...Disguised gently as the warm glow of your love’s kiss, can turn grief into beauty.” Stiles counters, the burning in his chest growing hotter. His whole body seemed to ache, every breath feeling like sandpaper had replaced his lungs, the need to just throw caution to the wind and kiss Derek vibrating inside of him. Stiles knew he couldn’t, that one kiss would lead to sorrow and devastation. He didn’t want just one kiss.

“I better go, bell’s about to ring.” Stiles coughs trying to get himself under control, the little progress he had made over the past few weeks slipping dangerously. He needed to leave, he couldn’t keep sitting here with Derek dangling in front of him. Stiles self-control only went so far.

“Stiles,” Derek calls out gently as Stiles swings his bag over his shoulder, book in hand as he makes for the door. Stiles pauses with his hand on the doorknob, not daring to turn around.

“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” Derek quotes into the still air. Stiles leans his head against the door, taking in a shaky breath, his eyes betraying his facade of strength as they slowly fill with tears.

“ _The Alchemist_ ,” Stiles whispers, closing his eyes tightly.

“ _So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.”_ Stiles thinks to himself, laughing bitterly with a small shake of his head. He needed to leave before he actually said the quote to Derek before the rest of his resolve crumbled along with his heart.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Hale.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Thanksgiving was hectic, people running around the Hale’s house cooking, chatting, or loudly watching the game in the living room. The Sheriff, Boyd, Erica, and Laura’s husband Andrew were sitting on the couch with beers in their hands debating who they thought would make it to the Super Bowl. Derek and Cora were racing around each other in the kitchen throwing together potatoes, casseroles, and pies while Isaac sat at the bar sending heart eyes at Cora, Jordan next to him talking to Derek about the arrest he had made two nights ago. Stiles had been avoiding Derek as much as possible since Monday, going to the weight room during fourth period to blow off some steam on Tuesday. With some many people crammed into the house it was easy for Stiles to latch onto someone else, that person happening to be Laura.

Laura was like an older version of Cora, snarky and smart with biting words and breathtaking beauty just like her siblings. Laura had zeroed in on him the second he had arrived right after he had kissed Cora on the cheek with a flourish and pulled Jordan into a hug. Laura had introduced herself and dragged him into the kitchen to the two open bar stools left. They had hit it off instantly, Laura telling him embarrassing stories of Cora and about her life in New York, all about her crazy work hours and shitty landlord that hiked up her rent a month ago.

“Who are you texting?” Laura questions when Stiles pauses mid-sentence to pull out his phone.

 

**From Joker: I’m pretty sure my aunt is trying to hook me up with some girl my cousin brought with her like she doesn’t know I’m hella gay**

 

“Just a friend,” Stiles shrugs as he types out a reply.

 

 **To Joker: Tell her you** **like it up the ass, she should get the picture ;)**

 

“Oo, a friend?” Laura hums with a smirk and a signature Hale eyebrow raise.

“Are you gonna bone him yet? You guys have been talking for weeks,” Cora speaks up from where she was mashing potatoes.

“Because we’re friends, he’d have to romance the fuck out of me first if he wants a taste,” Stiles replies playfully with a roll of his eyes.

“Is it that guy from the party? Lydia told me you meet your very own Joker,” Jordan chimes in, everyone’s heads whipping around at the loud crash of dishes to see Derek staring at the ground where a broken serving plate laid.

“Nice going Der-Bear,” Laura whistles as the man bends down to pick up the shattered plate. Stiles bit his lip at the nickname, longing to use it himself but knowing it would do him no good. He was meant to be staying away from Derek, for his own sanity and heart.

“So who is he?” Laura questions him, turning her attention back to Stiles.

“His name’s Ty, we met at a Halloween party, I was dressed as Harley Quinn and he was the Joker,” Stiles informs her, his phone buzzing in his hand.

 

**From Joker: She’d probs have a heart attack, when Dalton came in the past she always called him my friend, wouldn’t even let me correct her**

**To Joker: Sounds like a bitch, no offense**

 

“I need pictures,” Laura demands holding her hand out, Stiles chuckles and pulls up his Instagram handing the phone over to her. “Why have I not seen these! Oh my God, you look so hot, why wasn’t he up for it?”

“We made out, I think he’d be down for it but I don’t know,” Stiles shrugs, trying to brush it off as Laura flicks through the pictures.

“What’s he look like?” Laura questions as she hands the device back to him.

“He’s fucking hot, like calendar fireman meets swimsuit model hot,” Cora tells her, making Isaac pout ridiculously.

“This is him,” Stiles hands the phone back to her once he’s pulled up Ty’s page, Laura humming in approval when she sees the Joker selfie.

“And you’re not interested because?” Laura questions in disapproval. Stiles glances over to Derek who was throwing the broken shards into the trash, his shoulders tense and his eyes on the floor.

“I like my men like I like my wine, matured and aged to perfection,” Stiles states, watching Derek’s head snap up, their eyes locking for a moment before Stiles focus back in on Laura.

“Is that why you’re always hanging off me?” Jordan teases sipping on his beer.

“Gotta take the chance before Lyds gets you all to herself,” Stiles winks back making Jordan snort.

“Too bad your dad would kill me,”

“That sounds like I have a chance, you batting for both teams, J?” Stiles flirts batting his eyelashes at the amused man.

“In your dreams,” Jordan replies with a fond eye roll.

“There is nothing like a dream to create the future.” Stiles says before he can stop himself, flickering his gaze over to Derek who was holding a broom and dustpan, sporting a small, private smile.

 _“Les Misérables_ ,” Derek mutters quietly as he sweeps up the small pieces of glass on the floor.

“Don’t start,” Cora groans, pointing a finger between Stiles and Derek.

“What are you talking about?” Laura questions curiously, looking between the two of them with her head tilted to the side.

“All they do is talk in quotes, I don’t even understand how they know all of them off the top of their heads.” Cora huffs as she pours a bit of milk into the potatoes.

“People have an annoying habit of remembering things they shouldn't.” Derek taunts making Cora stick her tongue out childishly.

“ _Eragon_ ,” Stiles supplies without thinking, biting his lip when Derek’s attention turns to him.

“You’re able to keep up with Der-Bear? Color me impressed.” Laura hums with a small nod of her head, her fingers playing with her wine glass.

“Stiles is my best student,” Derek mutters quietly as he places the broom and dustpan back into the closet.

“I like to read,” Stiles shrugs off the compliment, wishing he had snuck himself a drink so he wouldn’t have to deal with this situation sober. Having Derek so close and trying to keep him at a distance was difficult, more so than Stiles cared for.

“What’s your favorite book?” Laura prompts, leading them into a long conversation about Stiles’ large genre of favorites. They talk easily, Jordan and Cora jumping in now and again with their own input. Stiles tries to keep his attention on Laura, forcing himself not to look at Derek as the man finishes up the final touches of dinner with his sister. When the food is ready they all head into the dining room, everyone pitching in carrying dishes into the room before taking their seats while Derek carves the turkey.

 

**From Joker: None taken trust me, how’s your dinner going?**

**To Joker: Cora’s sister is asking me why we’re not dating**

**From: Been wondering that myself ;)**

 

“Stiles, no phones at the table,” The Sheriff scolds, making Stiles look up from his phone with a guilty smile.

“Sorry, Daddio,” Stiles apologizes as he pockets his phone.

“Who’s got you smiling all stupid?” Erica questions from across the table, smirking at Stiles as she loads her plate with green bean casserole.

“You got a boyfriend you’re not telling me about?” The Sheriff asks with a raised eyebrow, ignoring Stiles’ glare as the man adds extra gravy to his mash potatoes.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Stiles grumbles, snatching two rolls from the middle of the table.

“He should be,” Cora huffs, kicking Stiles under the table when he rolls his eyes.

“You should go for it, nothing holding you back,” Jordan states with a shrug, handing Stiles the stuffing.

“He is older than you,” Cora points out unhelpfully.

“He’s 18, he’s only like 8 months older than I am.” Stiles groans, kicking her back when she scoffs at him. 

“Is he interested in you?” Andrew questions from his seat next to Laura down the table.

“Yeah, I think so,” Stiles mumbles back as he grabs two slices of turkey, trying to ignore everyone's eyes on him.

“So fucking go for it, ask him out.” Cora replies.

“We’re already hanging out this weekend,” Stiles sighs, stuffing a fork full of food into his mouth.

“Lacrosse scrimmage doesn’t count, we’re all going to be there, that’s not a date.” Cora snips as she cuts into her turkey.

“Son, if you like him you should talk to him,” The Sheriff chimes in.

“I don’t know if I like him, he’s cool and we get along well, he thinks I’m funny and understands my movie references but I don’t know if I wanna date him,” Stiles responds with a small frown, pushing his food around on his plate.

“You’ll never know if you don’t try,” Boyd speaks up, almost everyone nodding in agreement. Everyone but Derek, who seemed to find his dinner a little too interesting if the way he was staring at it meant anything. Stiles swallowed around the lump in his throat, wishing he could just tell everyone to get off his back, that the person he really wanted was sitting at this very table but he can’t have him. Stiles can’t have him, no matter how much he wishes he could.

“Yeah, maybe I will give it a shot,”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Stiles doesn’t ask Ty out, he thinks about but he doesn’t want to play with the guys feels. If he was going to initiate anything he would have to flat out tell Ty he’s not looking for anything serious. The idea was appealing for sure, they got on well and conversation was never strained between them, texting all the time and hanging out whenever they had the chance. they were already comfortable with each other physically because of Halloween so the only thing missing was talking about what they both wanted. Stiles just needed to get his head out of Mr. Hale’s ass and bite the bullet.

Easier said than done apparently.

 

**From Strawberry Goddess: Are you sure you’re up for this? Don’t let everyone pressure you into thinking you have to go out with him**

**To Strawberry Goddess: They’re right tho he’s perfect for me the only reason I haven’t gone for it is bc of D**

**From Strawberry Goddess: Just be careful you don’t want to string him along, he’s a nice guy**

**To Strawberry Goddess: I know he is that’s why I haven’t done anything yet, we’ll see how tonight goes**

**From Strawberry Goddess: Alright stay safe, your outfit is fantastic btw proud of you**

**To Strawberry Goddess: Learned from the best ;)**

 

Stiles slips his phone into the back pocket of his red, ripped skinny jeans, the loose white short sleeved crop top he had on letting him breath easy in the hot, musky air of the club. Jungle was busy, per usual for a Saturday night, music blaring through the speaks, strobe lights flashing, and guys dancing around. Stiles had come in with Ty tonight in hopes of seeing how things could turn out. Stiles already had five drinks under his belt and was working on his sixth, Ty over at the bar getting them a round of shots. Stiles was buzzed from the alcohol already running through his veins, vibrating from the music shaking the floor as he stood chatting with the drag queens who had been adamant about meeting Ty, wanting to meet the first boy Stiles had given the time of day.

Ty had charmed them instantly, complimenting Angel on her dress and Champagne on her new wig. Cherry had loudly stated what a cute couple they made and neither of them had corrected her. The night was going well so far and Stiles was even starting to really warm up to the idea of dating Ty.

“Here we go,” Ty announces as he comes over with a tray of shots for everyone, handing them out quickly to the five drag queens and Stiles.

“Cheers!” Ginger cries as they all clink their glasses together before drowning the shots, the liquor burning Stiles’ throat pleasantly.

“You gonna give us a show, Honey eyes?” Peaches questions him, wiggling her dramatic eyebrows at Stiles.

“You bet your ass,” Stiles confirms with a bright grin, his head just the right amount of fuzz to give him the extra confidence to make his way over to one of the stripper poles near the dance floor. Stiles shot Ty a flirty wink as he steps up onto the small platform, smirking as the boy’s eyes darken with lust. Stiles gripped the pole in both hands, wrapping a leg around the middle as he lifted himself up and started dancing.

Stiles wasn’t a professional by any means but Ginger and Cherry had shown him the ropes the night he had met the queens and have been giving him lessons ever since so he knew how to make it look good. Spinning around on the pole effortlessly, grinding against the cool metal as he lost himself in the music. He could feel the eyes on him as he danced, a shiver of excitement running down his spine as he moved, loving the attention he got when he danced. He knew he looked good tonight, his jeans practically painted on, the beginning of the abs that had started to show earlier in the year on full display, his hair looking like he had let someone run their fingers through it giving the allusion of sex hair. Stiles had let Angel do his eyeliner and dust a bit of shimmering glitter onto his skin making him feel sexy and on top of the world.

Stiles heard the queens cat calling him as he dropped low on the pole, his ass sticking out as he slowly stood back up, casting a wide smirk over his shoulder and a wink in their direction. Stiles turned his back to the pole, his hips moving in time with the music, his hands sliding down the pole above his head as he made eye contact with Ty. The taller boy was leaning back against the table, his gaze fixed solely on Stiles as he danced. Stiles smirked to himself as he spun around, hooking a leg around the pole with his back to Ty and the queens getting ready to continue, only to freeze momentarily when his eyes locked with a furious pair of hazel ones in the crowd of dancers.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Stiles whispers to himself as he stares back at Derek, the man looked pissed, his hands balled into tight fists, his mouth turned down in an angry scowl. Stiles wasn’t sure if he should pretend that he didn’t see him and keep dancing or get down and go talk to the man. He had come here to see if he could get over Derek and here the man was standing in the middle of the club looking as beautiful as ever in a dark blue henley and black jeans, glaring at Stiles from across the room.

“Shake that ass, Honey eyes!” Ginger cheers from behind him, pulling Stiles out of his head enough to get with the program. Stiles doesn’t spare Derek another glance, tightening his hands around the pole and jumping into a spin, letting gravity take him down into a crouch, climbing back up with a forward grind of his hips. He wasn’t going to let Derek ruin his night, he came out tonight to get drunk, dance, and have an all around good time with Ty and his friends.

Derek didn’t seem to have the same idea.

“Get down,” Derek growls as he storms over to stand next to the platform.

“I don’t think I will,” Stiles hums loud enough to be heard over the music, spinning carelessly around the pole.

“Stiles,” Derek snaps out his name, his eyebrows pulled down in anger. Stiles rolled his eyes lightly, not moving from his place on the pole as he continued to dance.

“Mr. Hale,” Stiles draws out the name, leaning his head back as he climbs higher up the pole.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Derek states hotly, glaring up at him.

“I’m on a date,” Stiles shrugs, not really caring if his words were only half true. It wasn’t officially a date, more of a test run, but Derek didn’t need to know that.

“This isn’t a date, you don’t come to a club for at date, Stiles.” Derek spits out, his shoulders vibrating with tension.

“Maybe I’m just trying to get laid,” Stiles bites back, his own anger rising.

“Get down,” Derek repeats in a low voice taking a step closer to Stiles.

“I don’t wanna,” Stiles responds, a fake smirk plastered on his face. Derek didn’t have any right to tell him what to do.

“If you’re going to be a child I’ll just call your father,” Derek threatens making Stiles freeze, his smirk slipping. His dad couldn’t find out about Stiles coming here, he’d be grounded till he was 30.

“Fine,” Stiles snaps letting go of the pole and sliding down onto the floor in front of Mr. Hale.

“You shouldn’t be here, you’re too young to even get in the door,” Derek huffs, his hands twitching at his side.

“Too young for a lot of things apparently,” Stiles snips back, crossing his arms over his chest. Two could play this game.

“Stiles,” Derek growls taking a step closer to the boy. “I’m taking you home, you’re not supposed to be here.”

“I can’t go home, my dad is there,” Stiles replies glaring right back at Derek. 

“Where were you going to sleep tonight then? Where does he even think you are?”

“Told him I was at Lyds,” Stiles shrugs. “Was gonna go home with Ty,”

“You’ve been drinking? Here?” Derek says, ignoring Stiles’ words when he smells the alcohol on him. Stiles wasn’t impressed, Derek had never cared about him drinking before.

“Duh, I’m trying to have a good time,” Stiles huffs in irritation.

“Do you know how many guys were staring at you while you were up there? What if one of them had slipped you something, huh? It’s dangerous,” Derek grits back, his teeth clenched together.

“I come here all the time, I _dance_ here all the time, nothing has ever happened,” Stiles replies with a roll of his eyes. He’s been coming to Jungle since he turned 17 and was always responsible with his drinks.

“I don’t care, we’re leaving. You can stay in Cora’s room.” Derek states, grabbing onto Stiles’ arm in a tight grip.

“Do I get a say?” Stiles questions in frustration as Derek drags him across the club by the arm, the queens and Ty looking on in worry from their table.

“No,”

“ _God_ , at least let me say goodbye so they don’t think you’re some pervert.” Stiles huffs back making Derek pause.

“Fine,” Derek grumbles letting go of Stiles’ arm. Siles huffs as he fixes his shirt, turning his back to Derek as he makes his way over towards Ty.

“Are you alright? Who’s that?” Ty questions as soon as Stiles is within ear range, running his hands over Stiles’ arms in worry.

“I’m fine, he’s Cora’s brother and also a friend of my dad’s, told me if I didn’t leave he’d call him,” Stiles explains with an annoyed look. He didn’t want to leave, he wanted to drink and dance his troubles away.

“Fuck, are you going to get in trouble?”

“Nah, he won’t say anything as long as I leave,” Stiles sighs, sending the taller boy an apologetic smile. “Sorry I have to go, I was looking forward to getting to dance with you again.”

“Hey, there’s always next time, just text me when you get home.” Ty smiles leaning in to peck Stiles on the cheek lightly. “I’m gonna hold you to that dance though,”

“Promise?” Stiles flirts, some of the tension leaving his body at the easy banter.

“Definitely,” Ty nods back. Stiles steps closer, pulling the boy into a quick hug, pulling back just enough to leave his own kiss on the corner of boy’s mouth.

“I’ll text you,” Stiles promises as he pulls away, waving sadly to the queens before making his way back over to Derek and walking right past the man to head for the doors. Stiles ignored the man as they made their way outside into the cool night, stomping his way over to Derek’s car that was parked near the back of the lot. Stiles crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for Derek to unlock the car, getting into the passenger's seat and slamming the door behind him.

“Look, I know you’re upset but you shouldn’t-” Derek starts to say as he starts the car, Stiles cutting him off sharply.

“Save it, I’m not in the mood for bullshit.”

“Stiles-”

“Take me to Lydia’s,” Stiles demands turning his head to stare out the window. Stiles was pissed now, seething in anger and disappointment at having to leave the club so early. At Derek fucking Hale acting like he had any say over what Stiles was allowed to do.

“Do you like him?” Derek asks carefully after a few minutes of strained silence.

“I don’t know, okay!” Stiles snaps, turning sharply to look at the older man who’s own eyes were fixed firmly on the road. “I should be jumping at the chance to be with him he’s so fucking perfect! He’s everything I could ever ask for in a guy, he’s sexy and funny and nice and smart and he likes me but he’s not-” Stiles cuts off his ranting abruptly, the ‘ _He’s not you_ ’ going unsaid.

“You don't have to let that one thing be the thing that defines you.” Derek quotes softly, the anger he had been radiating in the club leaving him with a long breath, refusing to look at Stiles as he drove down the deserted back streets of Beacon Hills.

“You don’t get to do that! You don’t get to just quote _After You_ at me when you just dragged me out of the club when I was trying to get my shit together!” Stiles shouts in rage, glaring daggers at the older man. “ You want a quote? How about ‘Unfortunately, it was much easier to point out the problem than come up with a solution.’ I get it, I fucking know okay and I’m trying, so how about we just forget everything and go back to before Halloween?”

Stiles let out a deep breath, clenching his eyes shut so he wouldn’t have to look at the man sitting next to him, hopelessly wishing the ache in his chest would lessen along with his anger. Stiles was so sick of this, he just wanted to go back to their easy conversations and playful banter. If he couldn’t act on his feeling he’d at least like to have a friendship with Derek, have him in his life in some way. He was tired of running from his problems and if that meant keeping Derek in his life without it going in the direction he so desperately wished for, he'd handle it like an adult. 

“Pain will come and go, and you need to learn to push past it. If you are overwhelmed you won’t be able to do what needs to be done.” Derek recites in a soft voice, finally looking over towards Stiles with such sad eyes, the pain in Stiles’ chest getting worse at the sight. They were both hurting, both wishing for things that couldn’t be.

“And he looked lonely enough that she said, 'If you like, you could be my friend',” Stiles replies gently as they pull up to Lydia’s driveway, the outside world dark and quiet save for a lone light on the upstairs floor of the Martin house. Stiles could deal with being friends, they could be friends if that's what it took to have Derek.

“ _Heir of Fire_ , I’d like that, to be friends.” Derek sighs running a hand over his face tiredly. “I’m sorry, about dragging you out of there,” Derek swallows roughly, his eyes dropping down to stare at the steering wheel. “It wasn’t my place to make you leave.”

“It wasn’t no, but I appreciate the apology.” Stiles responds with a small sigh, his hand moving to the door handle. The onslaught of emotions had left him drained, his limbs heavy and his mind a depressing mess. “I’ll see you Monday, Mr. Hale, thanks for the ride.”

“I’ll see you Monday,” Derek repeats as Stiles climbs out of the car, sending a small, hesitant smile Stiles’ way. Stiles nods in goodbye, shutting the door behind him before turning to make his way to Lydia’s front door, his heart heavy with the memories of the last few hours. He could do this, no matter how much it hurt, he could deal with being Derek's friend.

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Being friends with Derek doesn’t change much between them but at the same time changes everything. Stiles goes to Derek’s classroom every day and they discussed books and grade papers but Stiles can tell both of them are holding back. The easy banter they had before is strained, their quotes are more throughout and careful. They never cross over into the minefield of their emotions, they’re no simple touches or late night conversations when Stiles stays over. They don’t talk about the night of the club, Stiles doesn’t tell him about the guy Ty met after Stiles had left that Ty had taken a shining to. The two of them stay friends, hanging out on Saturdays with the group and getting coffee twice a week after lacrosse practice but any thought of a relationship was gone. Stiles was happy for Ty, the boy deserved someone that could really care about him.

The weeks seem to fly by, finals knocking everyone on their ass creating more study sessions and less time getting drunk in Cora’s backyard. Stiles throws himself into his school work and training with Danny when his usual girls time cuts down significantly. Cora hanging out with Isaac more and more since she was going to be spending Christmas in New York. Lydia prepares for Jackson and the twins to fly in, they were going to be staying at her house since Jackson’s parents weren’t comfortable with their son having a boyfriend. The last day of school before break came before Stiles knew it, his last test leaving his shoulders feeling lighter with the promise of two weeks of peace.

Stiles pushes open the door to Mr. Hale’s room silently, the final bell already long past leaving the school practically empty as everyone rushed to begin their break. The room was empty when he entered, Mr. Hale’s messenger bag sat near the man’s desk while his chair was vacant. Stiles approached the desk with the red and white candy striped wrapped gift in his hand, the small tag stuck on the front reading a simple “ _To: Mr. Hale_ ”. Stiles laid the gift down on the cluttered desk, a small part of him glad Derek wasn’t here so he could just leave his present and be on his way. Stiles hadn’t been sure if he should get the man a present or not but while shopping with the girl’s last Friday he had come across a book that had felt right to gift, letting Derek see a little further into Stiles’ past. The Long Goodbye was all about a woman dealing with the loss of her mother, Stiles had read it before wrapping it for Derek and had spent most of the time it took to read crying, remembering his own struggle with his mother’s death.

After dropping the gift off Stiles left the school to meet up with Lydia and Cora for their regular Friday night sleepover. Despite how busy they all were they haven’t missed a Friday night together. They were going bowling tonight just the three of them since Cora and Derek were flying to New York Sunday afternoon and they wouldn’t see her again till the 29th. Jackson and the twins were flying in Monday night and would be staying till after New Years so Cora would still have the opportunity to meet them and the three of them would be able to attend Lydia’s New Year’s Eve party.

The three of them decided to go to the mall before going bowling to get a few last minute decorations for the party and finish up their Christmas shopping, spending a few hours wandering around the mall before heading over to the bowling alley. Lydia destroyed them in all three games as usual, the trio laughing over cheese fries and burgers while they played.

“Laura says she wants to facetime you when I get to New York, says she misses you,” Cora says to Stiles on the way back to the Hale house, her eyes scanning over her phone as she texts her sister.

“Aww, tell her I miss her too, they should have just come out here for the holidays so we could all hang out,” Stiles replies, Laura and he had exchanged numbers before she had flown back home, texting now and again when they weren’t busy.

“She couldn’t get enough time off work or they would have,” Cora sighs back.

“She’s coming for your birthday in March, right?” Lydia questions the girl from the front seat.

“Yeah, they’re going to come up for the weekend,” Cora confirms, sliding her phone back into her pocket as Stiles’ parks his jeep in the driveway next to Derek's car.

“We are going to throw you the best 18th birthday party anyone has ever seen, until mine of course,” Lydia smirks as they climb out of the jeep.

“Why don’t we just have a big part for the three of us? Our birthdays are all so close together we might as well.” Stiles suggests with a shrug.

“Hmm, we could,” Lydia hums in thought. “We could do small parties on our actual birthdays and a big party in the middle after mine.”

“Wanna go upstairs and start planning?” Cora questions as she pushes open the front door, leading the three of them inside.

“You know me too well,” Lydia smiles as they make their way to the stairs.

“I’m gonna grab us some snacks, I’ll meet you guys up there,” Stiles states, nodding towards the kitchen, the two girls heading to the brunette’s room as Stiles moves further into the house.

“You like it so far?” Stiles questions when he passes the living room, Derek sitting on the couch with Stiles’ present in his hands.

“It’s a very good read, yes,” Derek replies with a friendly smile looking up from his page. “Thank you, you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Thought you might like it,” Stiles shrugs, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his jeans. He gave himself a moment to take Derek in, the soft gray sweater he favored hugging his torso, a pair of sweatpants and slippers covering his lower body, his glasses resting on the edge of his nose. Stiles took a sharp breath in, the burning in his chest that had become a permanent fixture whenever he was around Derek creeping up.

"One must be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.” Derek quotes to him, his thumb holding his place.

“ _Clockwork Angels_ ,” Stiles replies, resting his shoulder against the door frame lightly.

“I have something for you,” Derek states softly putting his book face down on the coffee table as he stands up, heading for the Christmas tree in the corner. Derek picks up a nicely wrapped present covered in cheesy holiday paper, holding it out to Stiles as he comes to stand just a few feet in front of him.

“Can I open it?” Stiles questions as he takes the gift from the older man.

“Go ahead,” Derek nods in response. Stiles rips the corner off, tearing the rest of the paper away to reveal a book of his own.

“Great minds,” Stiles laughs lightly as he balls the paper up into his hand, reading over the title quickly. “ _Golden Child_ , what’s it about?”

“A family that has to navigate impossible choices about scarcity, loyalty, and love, it’s beautifully written,” Derek answers as Stiles turns the book over to read the summary.

“Sounds interesting, I’m looking forward to reading it.” Stiles smiles with a small nod.

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading. How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book,” Derek replies with his own smile, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

“When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library. _Pride and Prejudice_ ,” Stiles finishes easily, holding the book at his side. They stood there in silence for a moment, both of them just staring as time stretched on.

“Uh, thanks for this,” Stiles coughs, holding up the book for a second. “I better get upstairs, big birthday party to plan and snacks to be consumed.”

“Who’s birthday?” Derek questions as Stiles takes a step back out of the room.

“We decided we’re just gonna have a big party for the three of us since our birthdays are so close together,” Stiles explains playing with the wrapping paper in his hand to distract himself. He didn’t like being alone with Derek outside of school, not when the man looked so soft and cute and kissable. They were friends and only friends, meaning Stiles needed to get out of there before he said or did anything they would both regret.

“That’s nice, I’ll let you get to it then,” Derek replies, looking a little lost for words. Stiles could relate, it was easy to talk to Derek about books and school, they talked all the time but that didn’t mean they really spoke. Every word was like a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off, the two of them doing everything they could to outrun the last seconds.

“Right, I’m glad you like your present,” Stiles nods towards the open book, biting his lip as he took another step back. “Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me,”

“As it does for all who truly believe, _The Polar Express_ ,” Derek finishes with a tiny smile, taking his own step back towards the couch, his eyes still traced on Stiles. “Merry Christmas Stiles,”

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Hale.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) ya'll probably hate me for this but I'm trying to do the teacher/student thing different than what I have seen done, let me know what you think of this chapter, I'm about to start the next one after I post this :)


	5. Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty short but it's mainly just a filler for everything that's going to happen in the next one, hope you like it and thank you for reading!

The holidays pass quickly, Stiles spending his time between bonding with his dad and hanging out with Lydia, Jackson, and the twins. When Cora gets back they ring in the New Year with champagne and half the students at Beacon Hills High crammed into Lydia’s backyard. Stiles gets ridiculously drunk and spends midnight by himself with a bottle of vodka in hand while all his friends kiss around him, Lydia having a small fling with Aiden while he’s in town leaving him the odd man out. Stiles tries not to dwell on his loneliness over the holiday break, going about his life as he always does.

When school starts back up he’s thankful that his teacher diving right into the new semester leaving his book bag heavy with coursework and giving him a nice distraction from the roller coaster his life had turned into.

“Have you applied to any colleges?” Derek questions a week into the new semester. Stiles now divided his free period between Derek’s room and the weight room trying to give himself some time away from the man during the school day.

“Got into MIT last fall, only school I bothered to apply to.” Stiles shrugs offhandedly, not looking up from the quiz he was grading.

“Why only one school?” Derek asks in curiosity.

“Lyds and I have been dreaming about it since sophomore year, we weren’t as close back then but being the top two in our grade we knew we’d get in,” Stiles explains looking up from the paper to see Derek staring at him.

“Intelligence is not measured by how much you know, but by how much you have the capacity to learn.” Derek quotes, tilting his head to the side as Stiles takes a second to place the quote.

“ _Made You Up_?” Derek nods letting him know he got it right before Stiles continued. “MIT has always been the dream, I know Coco has been thinking about Stanford or NYU but I don’t think Lyds and I could survive with her being so far away, we’re probably going to try and talk her into joining us so we can all get an apartment together. She’s got the grades for it.” Stiles tells him, smiling at the thought of the three of them getting to live together while they went to college. The three of them were practically inseparable now.

“That’d be good for you three, give you a chance to experience life and try out new relationships,” Derek replies with a mixture of satisfaction and bitterness swirling in his eyes. Stiles shakes his head at the man’s words, his own bitterness rearing its ugly head.

“I’m not going to find anyone there, no one worth the time at least.”

“You never know, Stiles, you could meet the love of your life there,” Derek responds, sadness creeping into his expression as he ducks his head down.

“The secret was such an old one now, had so grown into me and become a part of myself, that I could not tear it away.” Stiles says before he can stop himself, scowling down at his desk. Derek didn’t fucking get it, Stiles wasn’t going to meet anyone at college that he’d fall head over heels with because his heart was already sitting in Derek’s hands, slowly bleeding out but never going still. Stiles knew Derek was it for him, no college boy was going to change that fact.

“ _Great Expectations,_ ” Derek says into the silence, his eyes burning holes into Stiles’ head when the boy refused to look up. “I know it was you.”

“What?” Stiles can’t help but ask, his eyebrows turned down in confusion when he finally raises his head.

“Kate,” Derek states matter of factly, his eyes searching over Stiles’ face as the boy tries to contain his guilty expression.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Stiles protests, turning his attention back to his work, swallowing hard as he tried not to let any of his emotions show.

“You shouldn’t have done it,” Derek speaks up after a full minute of silence, shaking his head out of the corner of Stiles’ eye. “But I’m glad you did before it got serious.”

“She wasn’t good enough for you,” Stiles mutters back, gripping his pen tightly at the thought of the older women. He didn't feel bad for what he had done, would do it again if he had to.

“Who is then?” Derek questions softly.

Stiles feels his throat close up, his chest burning where his heart should be. He can’t fucking do this, he can’t keep sitting here pretending everything doesn’t hurt, that it doesn’t physically pain him to be near the older man. Stiles drops his pen onto the desk, grabbing his book bag off the ground by his feet as he stands up, his body stiff and his eyes betraying him as the misery pours out of them.

“Ask me that again after graduation,” Stiles doesn’t give the man time to reply, turning on his heels and leaving the classroom, his heart still beating in Derek’s hand as he runs towards the school’s front doors, needing to get away. To be anywhere Derek isn’t.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

The next few months are the hardest Stiles has had to deal with since his mom died, he pretends everything is okay, going to Derek’s room twice a week for his independent study and spending the other three days working himself to the breaking point in the weight room. Stiles starts inviting Cora and Lydia over to his house more instead of going to Cora’s, only spending Friday nights at the Hale house when he can help it. He tells Lydia what had happened and she helps him cover up the fact he can’t stand spending time near Derek whenever Cora asks what’s wrong with him.

They talk to Cora about MIT and after some convincing and a long talk with Isaac who was staying on the west coast she applies and gets in within a month of sending the application. The three of them start their apartment search, finding a few candidates near campus that they can afford. They celebrate by getting drunk and marathoning Black Mirror at Lydia’s.

Cora’s birthday comes and goes, Laura flies in and they have a small party at the Hale house that Stiles spends glued to Laura and Lydia’s sides. Ty shows up with his new boyfriend and Laura scolds Stiles for half an hour for letting such a catch go, right in front of Derek. By the end of the night all of the teens are sitting around the fire while the adults drink in the living room. Stiles and his friends discuss plans for spring break, Danny suggesting they all go down to Mexico for the week together since most of them will be graduating in the coming months. They all agree and promise to talk to their parents, spending the rest of the night researching where they can stay and what kind of trouble they can get into.

Stiles corners his dad the next day when Lydia and Cora are over, having stopped at Sandy’s for bacon cheeseburgers beforehand to try and butter the Sheriff up.

“You want me to let you go to Mexico for a week by yourself?” His dad questions after Stiles finally asked if he would be okay with it, frowning in disapproval even as he eats his bribe.

“I won’t be alone! There’s going to be like 15 of us there,” Stiles protests waving his hands around.

“You mean 15 kids, most of who haven’t been 18 for more than a few months and the rest still under age.” His dad counters. “I can’t be the only one who isn’t okay with this.”

“Allison’s dad isn’t on board either,” Lydia sighs as she checks her phone.

“Mason’s and Liam’s parents either,” Cora states as she pulls out her own phone, frowning down at the device.

“You’re not helping,” Stiles groans to his friends, glaring at the two girls over the table.

“Son, I’m not comfortable with a bunch of teenagers going down to Mexico without an adult present.” The Sheriff sighs as he sets his burger down.

“It’s not our fault everyone is going to be working, no one’s parents can just take a week off work to come down to Mexico with us, unless you’re trying to give Jordan the week off.” Stiles huffs crossing his arms over his chest as he leans back in his chair.

“That’s not completely true,” Lydia hums, sending Stiles an apologetic smile before she continues. “Mr. Hale will have the week off as well.”

“That’s true,” Cora grimaces, looking put out that the only way they might be able to go is if her brother is there to babysit. Stiles’ heart started to beat faster in his chest for all the wrong reasons as his dad’s expression became thoughtful.

“If Derek will supervise the trip, I’ll let you go,” The Sheriff says after a few minutes of thinking it over.

“Yes!” Cora cheers, high fiving Lydia as Stiles stares at the table, a lump forming in his throat. Stiles had done his best to stay away from Derek as much as possible and now the only way to have the best spring break of his life before going off to college was if he spent a week living with the man in the condo they had found. Stiles was looking forward to spending the break with his friends, one last big bang before they all went their separate ways for college and now he was going to have to spend the break either avoiding Derek or finding some way to pretend the man wasn't keeping Stiles’ heart on ice.

“He’s been a brooding asshole lately so we’re going to have to get supplies before we ask him, I’m gonna text the guys and see if their parents will let them go if Der comes too,” Cora says in excitement, whipping out her phone to text Mason and Liam.

“I’ll text Ally,” Lydia replies already typing away. Stiles raises his head up to see his dad staring at him with a thoughtfully look, his blue eyes warm as Stiles makes eye contact with him.

“You alright, Son?”

“Yeah,” Stiles sighs, letting out a drawn-out breath as he scrubs a hand over his cheek. “Just don’t get why we have to have a babysitter.”

“I thought you and Derek were friends?” The Sheriff questions with a raised eyebrow. “He talks about you a lot like you are, tells me all about your brilliant essays.”

“He does?” Stiles questions, his eyebrows raising in shock. He knew Derek and his dad hung out sometimes, grabbing a beer at the bar with Jordan, Erica, and Boyd but he didn’t think Derek would talk to his dad about him.

“Dude, he brags about you all the time, to like everyone, he was practically waxing poetry about your last paper,” Cora snorts with a shake of her head, oblivious to Stiles’ brain malfunction.

“He told me he’s never taught such a bright mind before, that you’re light years ahead of your age group.” The Sheriff nods in conformation, making Stiles flush thinking about Derek boosting about him.

“I would resent that statement but Stiles has always outshined me in English,” Lydia admits offhandedly, Stiles sending the redhead a grateful look. Lydia always had his back, one of the many things he loved about her.

“You don’t have to think of him as a babysitter, just a friend there to keep an eye on you,” The Sheriff says with an encouraging smile.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Stiles nods, his mind reeling with the new information. Derek talked to people about him, Derek praised Stiles’ mind to apparently anyone that would listen. Stiles’ chest felt warm with affection, a shy smile creeping onto his lips as he thought it over. Maybe Derek coming with them would be a good thing, help them get back on track instead of skirting around one another all the time. God knows it was putting a strain on both their lives, they were too connected socially for this to go on.

Stiles looked over to his two best friends, a small bubble of hope blossoming in his chest as he spoke.

“We’re gonna have to stop at the bookstore if we’re getting bribes.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Stiles and the girls headed to the bookstore an hour later so Stiles could pick out a few books for Derek, stopping at the bakery downtown for Derek’s favorite strawberry chocolate cupcakes before they made their way over to the Hale house in Stiles’ jeep. They find Derek lounging in the living room reading, a steaming mug of coffee sat next to him, the radio down low playing a soft instrumental.

“What did you do?” Derek questions warily when he looks up from his book, his eyes darting between the cupcakes Cora was holding and the small stack of books in Stiles’ hands.

“Nothing, can’t we treat my favorite brother with the best cupcakes in town?” Cora asks innocently, the three of them standing in the middle of the living room in front of the coffee table.

“I’m your only brother,” Derek counters as he slowly sits up, looking between the three of them suspiciously.

“And if she had another you would still be her favorite,” Lydia states with a winning smile. “That sweater looking amazing on you, by the way, green is definitely your color.”

Stiles couldn’t help but agree with the redhead, the forest green sweater Derek was wearing making his eyes pop even behind his glasses. The faded denim jeans well worn, hugging the man just right. Derek looked heavenly, painfully so.

“Your new workout is really paying off as well, are you sure you don’t want to try modeling? Laura always said you’d make millions,” Cora comments, her own cheerful smile plastered on her face.

“What do you want?” Derek questions with a roll of his eyes, a disgruntled frown tugging at his mouth. Stiles wasn't surprised Derek wasn't buying their shit, cutting right to the point.

“Well, we were all talking at the party last night about how spring break is coming up,” Cora starts, Lydia picking up right where she left off.

“And since most of us will be graduating soon and heading to different parts of the country we thought it would be an amazing idea to do something all together.”

“So we thought, hey what about going down to Mexico for the week? The only problem being Stiles, Allison, Mason, and Liam’s parents aren’t really on board with a bunch of teenagers partying in Mexico by themselves.” Cora continues, rocking back on her heels lightly.

“So then we thought, what if our all-time favorite teacher who also happens to have the week off came with us and everyone’s parents agreed what a wonderful idea it is and said we could go if you say yes.” Lydia finishes, both girl’s looking down at the unimpressed man with pleading eyes. Stiles stayed silent where he stood, letting the girls handle the talking for once. Stiles didn’t trust himself fully handing out compliments or trying to convince the man to say yes, he would just end up ranting about how amazing Derek was.

“Spring break isn’t the same for teachers, I’ll have work to do over break, papers to grade and lessons to plan out,” Derek states with a sigh, his eyes flickering between the three of them, landing on Stiles for an achingly long moment before moving back to the girls.

“You can do that on the beach,” Lydia points out with a _‘is that the best you got’_ look.

“Look-” Derek starts to protest his tone suggesting he was about to let them down gently and say he wasn’t going to go, Lydia and Cora both recognizing the tone and getting ready to kick their argument up a notch.

“Please, Derek,” Stiles pleads softly, cutting off whatever Derek was about to say, his bottom lip pouted out and his eyes practically begging the man to say yes. They were all riding on Derek saying yes to this and Stiles needed to pull out the big guns.

Derek visually deflated, his protest dying out as soon as he turned his attention on the younger boy, dragging a hand down his face in defeat.

“Fine, but only if Jordan or Erica and Boyd come too,” Derek sighs, rolling his eyes fondly as the three of them scream in excitement, Cora diving across the table to hug him.

“Thank you! Thank you, you won’t regret it, we’re gonna have a kick-ass time I swear,” Cora squeals as she hugs the man in a vice-like grip.

“I’m already regretting it,” Derek sighs heavily, patting his sister on the back lovingly even as his defeated eyes lock on Stiles.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“So my dad gave Jordan and Boyd time off to come with us but they’re going to be working the night shift for like a month after,” Stiles informs the girls, the three of them sitting on Cora’s bed, Lydia French braiding Cora’s hair while Stiles painted the girl’s toenails a light blue color. It was their standard Friday night sleepover and they had decided to stay in since they would be spending next Friday and most of Saturday driving down to Mexico.

In the short weeks since they had begged Derek to come to Mexico with them they had rented a house in Aquila, Michoacán, Mexico big enough for all 20 people and set up an itinerary for everything they wanted to do during the week including shopping, sightseeing, and some fun activities Stiles had found online. The house they had rented was right next to the beach and Lydia had already dragged them to the mall for new swimsuits.

“Of course my birthday isn’t till two weeks after we get back, Jordan and I could have had so much fun if the break was later in the month,” Lydia sighs wistfully. Stiles’ own birthday was two days before they were leaving, Lydia having organized a small party for him on Sunday so he could celebrate with his dad before they left.

“Mexico’s age of consent is only 16, maybe you can convince him,” Cora points out with a smirk.

“Please, Mr. Goody Two Shoes isn’t going to touch her till she’s legal here and you know it,” Stiles snorts as he finishes up on Cora’s big toe, capping the polish and leaning back to let the paint dry before he applied the top coat.

“A girl can dream,” Lydia hums as she ties off the braid.

“What about you, Stiles? Gonna find a hot guy while we're down there?” Cora questions with an obnoxious wiggle of her eyebrows.

“Like Derek would let me,” Stiles scoffs with a roll of his eyes, freezing when he realizes what he had just said.

“Yeah, he’s not going to let any of us into the clubs down there, no matter if we’re legal or not.” Cora acknowledges with a pout as she examines her toes. Stiles lets out a small breath of relief, Lydia giving him a look over Cora’s shoulder.

“At least he won’t stop us from drinking,” Lydia states, trading places carefully with Cora so the brunette could start on her hair. “Speaking of drinks, would you be a dear and get us some lemonade, Stiles? I brought vodka,”

“And we’re just hearing about this now?” Stiles grumbles as he stands up from the bed, straightening out his clothes.

“Grab some brownies while you’re down there too,” Cora puts in, sending Stiles a wicked smile as the boy rolls his eyes.

“Anything else?” Stiles questions sarcastically as he heads for the door.

“Ice cream would be great,” Cora replies laughing when Stiles flips her off. Stiles bounces down the stairs lightly humming to himself as he enters the kitchen, going straight for the fridge to grab the lemonade and ice cream.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to carry all this shit,” Stiles mutters to himself as he grabs three glasses from the cabinet.

“Need any help?”

“Fucking hell!” Stiles yelps in surprise, spinning around to see Derek watching him in faint amusement from the doorway. “Wear a bell or something, seriously, I almost dropped the cups,”

“Sorry,” Derek chuckles as he moves further into the room. Stiles can feel the air grow thick with tension as Derek grabs a beer from the fridge. They had been falling back into their usual routine over the last few weeks but the tension between them felt like a rubber band pulled too tight, just waiting to snap back into place. Stiles wasn’t actively avoiding the older man anymore but being alone with him left Stiles feeling off-kilter, his body overly warm and the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.

“Chocolate says "I'm sorry" so much better than words.” Stiles quotes as he takes a step back from Derek to grab the tray of brownies Cora and he had made earlier.

“ _My Soul To Save_ , I’d offer some but it looks like you have that covered,” Derek states, nodding towards the tray as he pops the tap of his beer off, leaning back against the counter lazily.

“Coffee and chocolate—the inventor of mocha should be sainted.” Stiles states seriously, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he gathered all his things on the counter in front of him. His eyes flickering to the coffee maker debating if it was too late to make himself a pot.

“ _Hour Of The Lion_ ,” Derek acknowledges with a small smile, taking a sip from his beer. “Need a hand with all that?”

“I’ve got it, thanks though,” Stiles declines, deciding against the coffee if it meant he could get back upstairs faster. Having less than a foot between himself and Derek was putting him on edge, especially when Derek was only wearing a wife beater and low riding sweatpants. Stiles was doing his best not to stare, he’s man enough to admit he’s failing spectacularly, Stiles life was incredibly unfair if he was being honest.

“You sure?” Derek pesters as Stiles stacks the cups on top of the tray.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Stiles nods as he grabs the lemonade in one hand, tucking the tub of ice cream under his arm as he grabs the tray. Stiles makes a move to leave the room, needing to get away so he could go reevaluate his life choices with junk food and vodka. Stiles remembered when his life used to be simple, back when his only real friend was Scott and he wasn’t depressingly in love with his English teacher. Back when Lydia and he only hung out every once in a while, when he wasn’t first string in lacrosse. Back when his heart was still safely locked away in his chest. His life would be a hell of a lot easier if the Hales had never moved to Beacon Hills. Lonely, but at least he wouldn’t be slowly bleeding out from the gaping hole in his chest.

“Stiles,”

Stiles freezes in the doorway of the kitchen, turning around slowly to see Derek making his way over to him. Stiles holds his breath as Derek comes to stand right in front of him, those hauntingly beautiful blue-green-gold eyes staring down at him, that soft, sweet smile stealing the little oxygen in his lungs. Derek was close enough for Stiles to smell him, the thick scent of old books and pine slapping him across the face.

Stiles didn’t know love could be so excruciating until he met Derek Hale.

“You forgot these,” Derek mutters, holding up three spoons in his right hand.

“Oh, right,” Stiles breathes out, his eyes locked on Derek’s face as the man drops the spoons into the empty cup. Stiles needs to do something, needs to move or run or say something. Like right now.

“Now you’ve ruined my plans of making them eat it off my chest,”

That, probably wasn’t the smartest reply Stiles could have come up with. He can’t even be blamed really, it’s all Derek’s fault for being so beautiful and in his face and- _fuck_ -now he’s _laughing_ all pretty with his head thrown back and his eyes crinkled and Stiles thinks Derek actually might be trying to kill him.

“Note to self: Caymen is very good at sarcasm.” Derek chuckles with a blinding smile, Stiles’ chest tightening at the sight. Definitely attempted murder, Derek is the fucking worst thing that has ever happened to him, hands down.

“If you’re recording notes for an official record, I’d like the word ‘very’ stricken and replaced with ‘exceptionally,” Stiles replies on autopilot, the quote helping him breathe a little easier.

“I-”

“Stiles! What the hell is taking you so long? My toes are dry and they aren’t going to finish themselves!” Cora shouts from her room cutting off whatever Derek was about to say.

“I should get back up there, Coco gets cranky when brownies are being withheld.” Stiles coughs taking a small step backward, needing to get some distance from the man.

“Yeah,” Derek nods with a disappointed frown as Stiles takes another step back, then another, the growing distance between them sucking up whatever small illusion of peace they had created.

“Right, well, I’ll just-” Stiles nods repeatedly before he turns on his heels, fleeing to the safety of Cora’s room, leaving Derek standing in the middle of the kitchen staring after him.

“What, did you get lost on your way back from the kitchen?” Cora huffs when Stiles enters the room, stealing the brownies and cups from his hand. Stiles sets down the ice cream and lemonade on the desk as he tried to get his lungs to take in air now that he wasn't surrounded by Derek. His body numb and his mind spinning remembering the miserable look in Derek's eyes when Stiles had fleed. 

“Yeah, something like that.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm behind on school work and need to catch up but I'll start on the next chapter as soon as I can, let me know what you think!


	6. Part 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! I hope you like it!

The drive down to Mexico is long, they leave as soon as school gets out on Friday, everyone piling into Derek, Erica, Danny, and Allison’s car for the long trip ahead. It was a day’s drive to Michoacán from Beacon Hills, Derek, Jordan, and Stiles taking turns behind the wheel so they won’t have to make any unnecessary stops to sleep along the way. The girls and Jordan keep the conversation flowing easily throughout the drive, everyone sleeping whenever they got the chance.

They arrive at the [house](https://www.vrbo.com/4850744ha?unitId=5856968&cid=a_cj_8416388&adultsCount=20&arrivalDate=03%2F24%2F2019&departureDate=03%2F31%2F2019&k_clickid=9fb1f9722d2311e9810802130a1c0e11&utm_source=aff_cj&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=HomeToGo+GmbH+USD_8416388&utm_content=10859114_957SWXW9&CJEVENT=9fb1f9722d2311e9810802130a1c0e11) around five Saturday afternoon parking the cars in the four-car garage after picking up the keys from the owner. The house is beautiful, three stories tall with crispy white stone walls, wide open widows lining the front of the house, a clear blue pool and patio scattered with palm trees sat in front of the dining room. The inside was spacious, three living rooms, a breakfast bar, state of the art kitchen, 9 bathrooms, and 13 bedrooms.

“Alright, we’re going to let couples room together but there’s a doors open policy, our single pringles each get their own room since this place is fucking huge.” Erica states while they are lugging their bags inside, everyone taking in the house’s decor excitedly.

“This place is fucking beautiful,” Mason whistles as they all head upstairs to pick out their rooms.

“You’re welcome,” Lydia calls down to him as Stiles and her lead the way up the tiled steps.

“We have impeccable taste,” Stiles smirks to the girl, getting a proud nod in agreement. They all break off to claim their rooms for the week, Stiles snagging the one at the end of the hall with its own bathroom for himself. Stiles set his suitcase down on the couch without care, heading straight for the perfectly made bed and falling face first onto the mattress with an exhausted groan. Being cooped up in a small car for 26 hours with little sleep left him drained.

“Don’t even think about it, we’re going out to eat and to get groceries in an hour.” Lydia says as she struts into the room, laying down next to Stiles in spite of her words.

“That’s definitely enough time for a nap,” Stiles yawns as he turns onto his side to face the redhead.

“Maybe just a little one,” Lydia mutters back sleepily, hiding her own yawn behind her hand.

“I’ll set an alarm,” Stiles nods happily as he pulls out his phone, setting the alarm for half an hour from now as Lydia got herself comfortable under the covers, Stiles diving in behind her.

“You’re going to end up sleeping here all week aren’t you,” Stiles mutters into the girl’s hair, wrapping his arms around her waist to cuddle her from behind.

“Seeing as neither of us are going to be sleeping with who we want to, it couldn’t hurt,” Lydia replies softly, lacing their fingers together over her stomach.

“Have I told you lately how much I love you?” Stiles whispers as he hugs the girl closer, taking comfort in having his best friend so close. Lydia had been his rock with everything going on with Derek and Stiles doesn’t know what he would do without her.

“Not nearly enough, but I know you do,” Lydia smiles turning her head enough to meet Stiles’ eye.

“Why couldn’t I be straight? We would have been the best power couple, could have taken over the world together.” Stiles sighs pressing a light kiss to the girl’s cheek.

“Who says we’re not going to? We don’t have to be a couple to rule the world.” Lydia huffs back, smiling softly at Stiles.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Stiles chuckles, nuzzling his nose into the redhead’s neck, breathing in the coconut scented body wash the girl favored.

“Sleep now, we can plan our take over after we spend our break living it up in Mexico,” Lydia whispers, her eyes fluttering shut as they got comfortable. Stiles followed her lead letting his own eyes shut and sleep takes over his mind.

When Stiles woke up he found Cora, Isaac, Allison, and Scott tangled around them snoring softly as they all cuddled together. Stiles smiled fondly at the sight, Lydia and he smack in the middle of the puppy pile.

“Hey,”

Stiles looked up with beady eyes to see Derek standing in the doorway, a soft smile gracing his lips as he took in the pile of teenagers clumped together on Stiles’ bed.

“Hey,” Stiles crocks back, wiping a hand over his face to try and wake himself up.

“We pushed dinner back an hour after you threw your phone across the room when your alarm went off, thought it would be best to let everyone sleep a little before we head out,” Derek whispers just loud enough for Stiles to hear, the man’s arms crossed over his chest as he leans against the door frame.

“It was a way of recognizing places of enchantment: people falling asleep like this,” Stiles mutters as he shifts around onto his back, Lydia and Cora tucking themselves into either side of him subconsciously.

 _“The Corrections_ , you three always end up like that, when I check on you at night they’re always laying on you.” Derek chuckles with a small tilt of his head, his smile making Stiles’ heart skip a beat.

“We have a system now, keeps me from flaring in my sleep.” Stiles nods, stroking a lock of hair out of Cora’s face. “One of the apartments we found is a one bedroom, thought we might save some money since we all end up in the same bed anyways.”

“Friends are the family you choose,” Derek voices fondly, Scott letting out an obnoxious snore a second later.

“ _The Other Side of Life_ , none of us have much family, this year has brought us all really close together. It’s weird to think this is probably going to be the last time we get to spend so much time together.” Stiles sighs, pulling the girls tighter into his side. At least he’d get to keep his two best friends once school was finished. The thought still left him feeling hollow, knowing their rag tag group of friends would be scattered across the country in less than five months.

“I’m really glad Cora found you two, she’s never had close friends before, it’s nice to see her so happy.” Derek comments, his eyes moving between Cora, Lydia, and Stiles.

“We’re lucky to have her, she’s the one who brought us all together,” Stiles replies thickly, his mind running back to the second week of school when Stiles had convinced Lydia to approach the girl. How different things would be if he hadn’t.

“Stop being a sap, I’m trying to sleep,” Cora grumbles into Stiles’ neck, smacking him lightly on the chest.

“I actually came in here to wake you all up, we’re leaving for the restaurant in 20 minutes,” Derek responds, making Cora groan pitifully.

“ _Fuuuck_ , fine,” Cora moans as she sits up scrubbing at her tired eyes. “I feel like death,”

“Look like it too,” Stiles snickers, getting a hard slap to the stomach for the comment.

“That hurt, fucker,” Stiles groans rubbing his stomach with a half hearted glare.

“Go to the gym more,” Cora smirks back as she shakes Isaac’s shoulder lightly to wake the boy up.

“I’ll have you know I’m in impeccable shape, I have _abs_ now.” Stiles huffs with a pout, lifting up the end of his shirt just to prove it.

“Sexy,” Lydia mutters sleepily, blinking her eyes open slowly.

“Right,” Derek coughs shuffling his feet with a light blush covering his cheeks. “Be downstairs in 20, everyone else is already up.”

“M’kay,” Lydia yawns as she sits up, stretching her arms up gracefully. Derek nods once, his eyes flickering around the room looking anywhere but Stiles before he ducks out without another word.

“Wake up,” Cora yells leaning across the two of them to shove Scott’s shoulder roughly, Allison stirring next to him.

“Why?” Scott moans pulling a pillow over his head to try and block them out.

“We’re going out, get your ass up,” Cora huffs back, snatching the pillow from him and hitting him in the face with it.

“God, okay okay,” Scott whines pulling himself up into a sitting position with half closed eyes.

“C’mon, get dressed so we can go get food,” Stiles instructs climbing off the bed unsteadily, Lydia and Cora following after him. Isaac, Scott, and Allison join them a few seconds later, everyone heading back to their own rooms to change. Stiles grabs a pair of black skinny jeans, a white v-neck tee and a red plaid shirt, pulling everything on clumsily and leaving the plaid shirt unbuttoned, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows. Stiles went to the bathroom to piss, grimacing at his bed head and heading back to his suitcase to grab a baseball cap his dad had gifted him for his birthday. Stiles set it on his head backward, slipping his feet into his pair of converse before heading downstairs to join the others.

“Damn, you really pull off the frat boy look, Stiles,” Ty voices as Stiles steps into the living room. Ty and his new boyfriend, Sam, had joined them on their trip and were now seated on the loveseat together, Ty’s arm thrown over the shorter boy’s shoulder.

“What can I say, I can make anything look good,” Stiles replies cheekily winking over to Jordan who was looking his way. Jordan rolled his eyes with an easy smile, shaking his head at the younger boy.

“Mhh, if you were straight and I was a few years younger...” Erica hums letting her eyes roam over Stiles’ body with lust filled eyes. Boyd grunted next to her, putting an arm around the blonde’s waist and pulling her close.

“Cora and Lydia never took you up on that offer did they?” Brett questions from his chair, Danny sitting next to him, both boys looking over Stiles’ outfit in approval. Stiles had to think about the sentence for a second, trying to remember what offer he was talking about.

“Oh, no, sadly for them,” Stiles responds when he figures it out, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he leaned back against the wall, not letting his eyes linger on Derek who was looking between the three of them with a frown.

“Thinking about extending it to anyone?” Danny questions with a cocky grin.

“I might be able to be persuaded,” Stiles hums, letting a flirty smile take over his face. He knew they were just messing around but it was still fun to banter. All the time at the gym had allowed his arms to fill out more, his abs becoming more prominent, his legs more toned. Stiles knew it was paying off if Danny and Brett were even thinking about letting him in on some action, even if they weren’t totally serious.

“Wait wasn’t that offer about-” Liam starts to asks in confusion, Theo slapping him in the back of the head with a pointed look towards the four adults looking on curiously, Mason and Corey snickering next to them.

“What offer?” Erica questions, looking between the lot of them as Isaac, Cora, Scott, and Allison come down the stairs.

“Are we talking about Stiles offering to bone Lydia and I before Isaac and I got together?” Cora questions as she bounces down the stairs, giving Stiles a disgusted look.

“It was a joke, right?” Isaac asks with a frown, putting an arm around Cora’s shoulder protectively. Stiles sees Derek glaring down at the floor behind Jordan, his hands balled into fists at his side like he actually thinks Stiles would want to fuck his sister.

“I like dick, thanks, of course it was a joke.” Stiles snorts with an eye roll, frowning slightly when his words don’t make Derek loosen up.

“So hypothetically, would it still be a joke if the parties involved had dicks?” Sam questions looking Stiles up and down pointedly.

“Hypothetically, I’d like my first time to be with one person, not two,” Stiles replies with a small nod, watching Derek’s head snap up from the ground, his eyes wide as they searched over Stiles’ face.

“Wait, you’re a virgin?” Jordan questions in surprise, his eyebrows almost touching his hairline.

“How?” Erica scoffs looking just as surprised. Stiles is a little flattered.

“Haven’t found the right person, old fashion but I want it to be with someone I care about,” Stiles states with a small shrug, his eyes locking onto Derek’s own, watching the man swallow thickly.

“Are we really standing around talking about Stiles’ lack of sexual experience?” Lydia sighs as she descends the stairs, a light pink summer dress hugging her curves and a pair of black wedges on her feet.

“Pretty sure he’s the only virgin in the room, gotta find entertainment somehow,” Malia snorts from the couch, Kira shushing the girl softly from her spot next to her.

“There are certain things Der doesn’t need to know about me, Malia,” Cora hisses at the girl, her glare being met with an eye roll from Malia.

“Yes, there is, too bad you two aren’t subtle in the slightest.” Derek sighs, seeming to pull himself together, his eyes finally leaving Stiles to do a quick sweep around the room. “Are we all ready to go?”

“Yes, I’m dying for some real food,” Erica groans pulling Boyd by the hand towards the garage, everyone standing to follow after the pair.

“Did you see his face?” Lydia whispers to him, the two of them one of the last pairs to leave the room.

“Like he wanted to punch Danny and Brett for trying to talk me into a threesome and then staring at me like a deer caught in the headlights when I said I was a virgin, yeah, I saw,” Stiles mutters back, his eyes trained on Derek’s back through the crowd.

“Because he wants to be the one fucking you and you just announced to the whole room you only want to do it with someone you love,” Lydia replies quietly as they step into the garage, Cora and Jordan already climbing into the Camaro.

“I just turned down four extremely hot guys who want to get me in bed for him, he should be fucking ecstatic,” Stiles grumbles, lowering his voice even more as they approach the car.

“If it makes you feel better, I’d be your first, then you can get rid of it and fuck whoever you want,” Lydia responds, her voice raised as they duck into the backseat next to Cora. Derek slams his car door shut as he gets in, ignoring Jordan’s worried look as he starts the car.

“My love for you is endless Lyds, but I don’t think that’d would work out,” Stiles chuckles with a shake of his head. Stiles knew what she was doing, trying to wind Derek up and while he appreciated it he knew it wouldn’t do any good. Stiles already knew there was no point, Derek wouldn’t do anything about it no matter how he felt.

“I would do it, could even get a strap on if you want to bottom,” Lydia states looking completely serious. Stiles would laugh if he didn’t love her so much.

“Sometimes no matter how many eyelashes or dandelion seeds you blow, no matter how much of your heart you tear out and slap on your sleeve, it just ain't gonna happen.” Stiles sighs leaning into the girl’s side, letting his head rest against her shoulder as his eyes catch on Derek’s in the rearview mirror. Everything unsaid hanging between them like a white flag on a battlefield. Stiles was so tired, so so tired of trying to be okay, wishing they could be more than they are. Hoping they could come together this week to do everything he was dying to do, knowing it was never going to happen. Not yet, maybe not ever.

“ _The Fine Art of Truth or Dare_ ,” Derek mumbles under his breath, inhaling sharply as he follows Erica’s car down the road, his eyes flickering from the road back to Stiles’ defeated eyes. His next words ringing in Stiles’ ear the rest of the way to the restaurant.

“How can I believe what other people say if I lie to them?”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

After grabbing dinner they all head over to the grocery store to stock up for the week, filling two carts full of fruits, vegetables, meats, junk food, and anything else they could find. Danny, Ty, and Sam head across the street to the liquor store with a long list of requests for alcohol from the teens loading up the trunk of Danny’s SUV with enough bottles to last them for a few days hopefully. After loading the groceries into Erica and Allison’s trunks they headed back to the house to pack the kitchen with all the food they had bought, Lydia, Stiles, and Cora organizing the fridge while Jordan, Derek, and Isaac stocked the pantry.

When everything was settled the majority of the group headed outside to test the pool, Erica, Boyd, Derek, and Jordan conversing in the second-floor living room to give the teenagers some space. Danny and Brett grabbed the alcohol from the truck of the car and passed out bottles to everyone, Kira turning on the surround sound speakers while everyone poured themselves drinks. The group spending the rest of the night drinking and dancing and throwing each other in the pool.

The next few days consist of them taking turns in groups of four to make meals, heading out to the beach whenever they weren’t out sightseeing or shopping at the mall or markets around town. On Wednesday they went swimming with dolphins and scuba diving in the Pacific Ocean, heading back to the house where Jordan, Boyd, Derek, and Erica prepared a BBQ on the patio while the kids took a dip in the pool, everyone high on the excitement of the day as they splashed around with drinks in their hands.

“You’re getting a hell of a tan,” Lydia points out to him as they float around on a giant blow-up flamingo. Lydia in her new light pink strapless bikini and cat-eye sunglasses while Stiles was sporting the red and gray tight swim trunks the redhead had picked out for him, his own black ray bans blocking the last of the setting sun.

“Surprised I’m not a tomato,” Stiles snorts back, resting his hands behind his head. The past few days had gone by fast, too fast for Stiles’ liking but they were making the most of their time here, spending as much time in the sun as they could with two full days left of their break before they would have to pack up and head back to Beacon Hills.

“He’s staring again,” Lydia mutters under her breath as she sits up on her forearms next to Stiles.

“He seems to do that,” Stiles sighs already knowing who she was talking about. Derek had barely let his eyes off of Stiles since their first night, the two had talked a little but always in groups since no one was ever alone with these many people in one house. It unnerved Stiles knowing the man was watching him but also sent a thrill down his spine knowing Derek liked what he saw. Stiles had barely worn a shirt for more than an hour since their first night here between the pool and the ocean and how fucking hot it was down here he couldn’t be bothered. Stiles wasn’t sure he even wanted to talk to the man, had no idea what he would say if they got the chance.

“Yo, we’re thinking about getting tattoos before we leave Saturday, you guys in?” Scott asks as he swims over to their raft with Allison, Danny, Brett, and Ty.

“Not into needles,” Stiles replies without moving, content with just basking in the sun. The break had been everything he’d hoped it would be. The adults acting like teenagers themselves most of the time with how chill they were being about 16 teenagers drinking and fucking around Mexico, the only time any of them having to actually play their role was when Liam and Theo had tried to sneak in some alone time yesterday morning and had closed their door.

“I’ll pass,” Lydia hums uninterested, Scott pouting up at the pair with his big, round puppy dog eyes.

“Don’t you want to get something to remember our trip?”

“I’ll buy a postcard or something, not permanently mark my skin.” Stiles rebuttals, the smell of ribs cooking on the grill making his stomach rumble.

“My favorite deputy with the flawless ass, is the food almost ready?” Stiles shouts cheekily to Jordan who was manning the grill with the ribs, Boyd and Erica in the house preparing sides while Derek stood in front of the grill with the vegetables.

“10 minutes, smartass!” Jordan yells back, Stiles practically feeling the man’s eye roll.

“Why couldn’t he be bi,” Stiles sighs dramatically, getting a half-hearted slap on the chest from Lydia. “C’mon Lyds, we could have shared.”

“I don’t share, and neither do you,” Lydia replies smoothly, pursing her lips.

“I would for J,” Stiles shrugs, grinning to himself when he hears Jordan sigh loudly. Stiles loved rilling the man up.

“Don’t make me come over there, Stiles.”

“Ooo, is that a threat Deputy, or a _promise_?” Stiles asks teasingly as he sits up on his forearms to wiggle his eyebrows at the man.

“You’re a menace,” Jordan shots back pointing the tongs in his hand at Stiles trying to suppress his own grin.

“You love me,” Stiles coos, blowing a kiss the man’s way as he shakes his head at Stiles, Derek frowning down at his own grill next to the man. Stiles did what he had been doing for the last three days whenever Derek got like this, ignoring the problem.

“That’s not the word that comes to mind,” Jordan laughs as he lifts the lid of the grill to check the ribs, steam hitting him in the face causing his cheeks to flush with heat.

“You’re just going to lie right to my face like that? I’m hurt, J, I thought we had something special.” Stiles pouts sitting up fully as his friends snicker around him.

“You’re not my type, Stiles.” Jordan snorts as he stacks the ribs onto a plate.

“ _Rude_ ,” Stiles huffs back as he slips off the raft, dragging it behind him to the edge of the pool so Lydia can get off without getting wet.

“Shut up and come eat, the food’s ready.”

“And you try and pretend you’re not after my heart, providing for me like this,” Stiles pretends to swoon, lifting himself out of the pool by his arms and heading right for the man, ignoring Derek glaring out of the corner of his eye.

“I swear to God Stiles-” Jordan tries to protest, holding the tongs out like a weapon as a very wet Stiles tries to pull the man into a hug.

“Aww, c’mon, J, you know you wanna,” Stiles sing songs between laughter trying to dodge the man’s tongs to get to him.

“Go eat,” Derek grunts as he comes up beside Jordan, glaring at both of them as he hold a plate of steaming grilled vegetables. Stiles feels his smile drop from his face, irritation prickling at the back of his mind. This wasn’t the first time Derek had put a stop to Stiles teasing someone since they had been here.

“Sure thing, _Mr. Hale_.” Stiles bites out, dropping his arms and heading over to the cabana where almost everyone was already seated, towels wrapped around their bodies. Stiles takes his seat next to Lydia, following the girl’s eyes to see Derek and Jordan whispering something to each other quietly, Jordan with a disapproving frown on his usual happy face and Derek with his now familiar scowl.

“He’s about as subtle as Tony Stark,” Lydia mutters as she watches the two man.

“Marry me?” Stiles asks fondly making the girl smirk knowingly beside him.

“Tempting,” Lydia hums, knocking their knees together lightly under the table. Stiles gives her a small smile in return, turning his attention back to the table as the adults bring out the food.

Dinner is loud as usual, everyone talking over each other as they devour the food on their plates. Stiles avoids looking at Derek throughout the meal, chatting lightly with his friends, pretending he doesn’t feel Derek’s eyes on him the entire time. By the time all the food is finished and the table is cleared Malia and Allison are already pouring jager bombs for everyone while Kira grabs the jello shots they had made earlier. Someone turns on the speakers as shots get passed around, the sun had set leaving the outside lit with fairy lights and the soft glow of the full moon.

“To spring break!” Allison cheers raising her shot in the air, everyone parroting her words and clicking glasses with whoever is next to them before throwing it back. They pour a few more shots and empty half the tray of jello shots in the next half hour, most of the teens either migrating back into the pool or dancing near the edge. Boyd, Erica, and Derek all relax on the lounge chairs while Jordan joins Lydia on the flamingo.

“Dude, you need to loosen up,” Danny states as he comes to stand in front of Stiles with a half full bottle of tequila and an unimpressed look.

“I am loose,” Stiles protests, Danny ignoring his words as he pours them both a round of shots.

“C’mon, I’m getting you drunk so you can show all these losers what they have been missing,” Danny says with a wink as he hands Stiles two full shot glasses, grabbing his own in hand.

“Trying to get me to show off my moves?” Stiles teases lightly before he knocks back the first shot, the liquor smooth as it rolls down his throat, drowning the next before Danny even replies.

“Don’t know if you still got them, Cherry told me you haven’t been to the club in a while.”

Stiles grabs the bottle to pour himself another, his mind already slowing down from the alcohol he had consumed in the past hour, his body feeling pleasantly warm. Stiles hadn’t gone to Jungle since Derek dragged him out all those months ago, hasn’t felt up for it since, the thought of seeing Derek there again hooking up with some random guy leaving a bad taste in his mouth and a twist in his stomach.

“Guess I’m going to have to prove you wrong,” Stiles smirks before tipping back the shot, setting down his glass to drag Danny out onto the makeshift dance floor. Stiles was going to have a great time tonight and not think about Derek, even if it killed him.

Stiles walked right up to were Brett was dancing by himself, getting a wicked grin in hello as he sandwiched himself between the couple, Danny to his back and Brett to his front. Stiles didn’t waste any time, wrapping an arm around both of the boy’s necks as they started to move together in a dirty grind. Stiles was familiar with this, the three of them almost always ended up dancing together at Jungle before Stiles would break away to find himself a new partner.

Stiles let the music move him, his head tilted back against Danny’s shoulder while the boy grinded against his ass, Brett running his warm hands over Stiles’ sides as they moved. Stiles sighed blissfully, feeling better then he had in a while, he had missed dancing, missed the feel of someone’s hands on his skin and the pressure of a body against his own.

“Too bad there’s no pole here for you,” Brett whispers into his ear with a smirk.

“It’s tragic really,” Stiles replies with a nod as he fingers creeped into the boy’s curly hair tugging on it playfully.

“Why haven’t you been coming out with us?” Brett asks, his lips dragging over Stiles’ ear as he spoke. Stiles pressed into the contact as he thought over what to say. If there was anyway to tell them what had happened without giving himself away.

“It’s Derek isn’t it?” Danny speaks up as one of his hands moves to run over Stiles’ stomach, seeing right through Stiles as usual. At the sound of Derek’s name Stiles couldn’t help but seek out the man, finding him sat in his lounge chair with a scowl on his face, his eyes dark as they stared back at Stiles’ own glassy eyes, one hand holding a bottle of beer in a white knuckled grip.

“He’s killing me,” Stiles admits softly, pressing his eyes closed and leaning in to press his face against Brett’s bare chest. Everything Stiles was trying to push away was coming at him full force in his drunken state, the anger, the hurt, the heartache, the deep rooted bitterness at knowing he can’t have the man flooding his mind all at once.

Here he was pressed between two guys and all he could think about was Derek _fucking_ Hale and isn’t that just the story of his fucking life. This break was meant to be about bonding with his friends and drinking and dancing and just having an all around great time and Stiles had spent most of it ignoring Derek’s stares and trying to keep his feelings at bay, letting them slowly eat at him from the inside, just trying to pretend he was okay.

“You love him, don’t you?” Brett asks softly, his tone filled with sympathy. Stiles was, he was so in love with Derek. So stupidly in love with him. The stupidly perfect man that had craved a piece of Stiles out for himself and left Stiles feeling broken and empty. Stiles cracked an eye open slowly, finding Derek without a thought sitting there in only a pair of black swim trunks looking even more beautiful than the day Stiles first laid eyes on him.

“Yeah,” Stiles crocks out, his voice breaking on the word. “So much it hurts,”

“Stiles-”

Stiles can’t deal with this right now, can’t hear them tell him it’s going to be alright and that he’ll get over it or whatever the hell they’re going to say. Not when Derek is sitting ten feet in front of them with that scowl on his face that makes Stiles short of breath.

“I’m going upstairs,” Stiles mutters as he breaks away from the couple, his breathing coming out in harsh pants as he rushes into the house and up the stairs straight for his room. Stiles slams the door behind him, angry, bitter tears welling up in his eyes but refusing to fall. Stiles picks up the first thing he sees, a book he had brought with him to read in the car, picks it up and throws it against the far wall. The ache in his chest doesn’t lesson so he grabs another and chucks it, grabs a shoe and does the same till half his suitcase is scattered around the room and he’s seething in rage standing in the middle of the storm.

“Stiles,”

Stiles wipes around to see Derek standing in the doorway with hesitant eyes, taking in the mess around the room as he takes a small step forward, letting the door snap shut behind him.

“Are you okay?” Derek asks in that stupidly kind, soft voice. Stiles feels his anger building as Derek stands there looking so fucking perfect and annoyingly sweet and heart wrenchingly caring, like he didn’t rip Stiles’ heart out of his chest the second they met and kept it for himself.

“ _No_! No I’m not fucking _okay_! I haven’t been okay since the first _fucking_ day of school! I haven’t been okay since I fucking _met_ you! You and your perfect body and your brilliant mind and your _fucking_ book quotes! I can’t fucking think straight because of you, I can’t get you out of my goddamn mind and it’s fucking infuriating! I’m _trying_! I’m trying so hard to be good, to get over you because I know how much your job means to you and I know how much you love that town and I can’t ruin that for you! I won’t because you mean too much to me, I care too much about you to let that happen, I won’t ruin you like that!” Stiles screams letting everything that had been bottled up inside of him out all at once, his hands shaking at his side as Derek looks at him with such sorrow filled eyes and it’s chipping away at the anger inside of him knowing he did that to Derek, he put that look on his face.

“Stiles,” Derek whispers, his voice cracking over the name. Just like that all the fight seems to leave him, Stiles collapsing onto the floor with his head in his hands as he fails to pull himself together.

“I can’t keep doing this, one minute I think I’m going to be okay then I see you smiling at me and everything crumbles. You’re all I think about, everything I do revolves around you and it’s tearing me apart being so close but never being able to be anything more.” Stiles whimpers brokenly, tears falling freely from his eyes now. Stiles watches through his watery gaze as Derek kneels down in front of him, feels the man put a hand on his shoulder and squeeze tightly.

“Do people always fall in love with things they can't have?” Stiles quotes through his tears, looking up to meet the man’s own wet eyes.

“Always,” Derek finishes with a broken smile as a lone tear runs down his cheek before he’s pulling Stiles into his chest and hugging the life out of him. Stiles clings to the man as he rubs Stiles’ back soothingly, it’s wonderful and also the worst fucking thing in the world and Stiles never wants to let go.

“Stiles, I’m 8 years older than you, you have so much more of your life to live, you’re so young and you’re going to be off at college soon, you’ll forget all about me.” Derek mutters into his hair in a sad voice. Stiles pulls back harshly, glaring up at the man even through his tears.

“ _You don’t get to tell me how I feel_ , I was in love with Lydia for 6 fucking years and only stopped because I figured out I was gay and even now I’m still a little in love with her. This isn’t going to just go the fuck away, it’s only gotten worse over time, getting to know you, talking to you, you’re fucking _it_ for me.” Stiles hisses venomously, the anger building back up inside of him. How dare Derek try and tell him how he feel, bring their age gap into it like it matters to Stiles.

“Stiles, I’m your teacher, we _can’t_ ,” Derek says with a pained look on his face as Stiles wipes at his eyes harshly, pushes himself off the floor to stand, Derek doing the same.

“What about when you’re no longer my teacher?” Stiles questions, raising his eyebrows at the man. Derek gets that pained look on his face again, squeezing his eyes shut as he answers.

“You’ll be across the country by then, you’ll be starting a new life.”

“That’s not a no,” Stiles whispers, taking a careful step forward. Derek doesn’t reply, his eyes staying shut tight as Stiles comes to stand right in front of him, their faces only inches apart.

“Fine, I’ll go to college and I’ll fuck around with guys I couldn’t give a shit about, I’ll get my degree and when I come back and I’m still in love with you I’m going to throw it in your fucking face and let you take my virginity, how’s that for a promise, _Derek_?”

Derek makes a strangled sound in the back of his throat, his eyes flying open and his breathing hitching seeing Stiles so close. Stiles can’t fucking take it anymore, not with the man right in front of him looking so raw and vulnerable. Stiles grabs Derek’s stubbled face in both hands and crashing their lips together in a heated kiss.

The kiss is everything Stiles had dreamed it would be, Derek’s stubble scratching against his face, his lips plush and silky smooth against Stiles’ own. It gets even better when Derek finally gets with the program, both hands grabbing Stiles’ waist in a bruising grip, pulling their bodies flushed together as Stiles runs his tongue over Derek’s bottom lip, the man letting him in easily letting their tongues fight for dominance. Stiles isn’t sure how long the kiss last, only knows it ends when Derek pulls back gasping for air, his hands holding Stiles back from following after his mouth like he so desperately wants to.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Derek whispers sadly, resting his forehead against Stiles’ own.

“Some things you don't have to promise. You just do.” Stiles quotes at him, their noses brushing together as Stiles stares into those beautiful eyes, the eyes he fell in love with that first day of school, the eyes he wanted to see for the rest of his life.

“ _The 5th Wave_ , Stiles, please you can’t know-” Derek whispers in distress, his hands tightening against Stiles’ bare sides.

“You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read,” Stiles replies furiously, holding Derek’s head in place so he can’t look away from Stiles’ eyes, so he can see how serious Stiles is.

“ _Great Expectations_ , that day you gave me a choice, you laid out three books and told me to pick which one I wanted. I don’t want friendship, I don’t want stolen innocence, I want-”

“A maybe happy ending,” Derek finishes with a distressed but hopeful look in his eyes, a hand coming up to cradle Stiles’ face lovingly. “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

“ _The Alchemist_ ,” Stiles smiles lightly, pressing one last lingering kiss to Derek’s lips before he pulls back, saying what he wished he would have been able to say the day Derek told him he had broken up with Kate. “So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

They don’t talk much after that night, both of them silently agreeing to Stiles’ promise of what’s to come. Life goes on, they head back to Beacon Hills and Stiles only spends one day out of the week in Derek’s classroom. Lydia’s birthday comes and Jordan takes her on a date that night, Lydia sharing all the details with Cora and Stiles at their next sleepover.

They have the biggest birthday party Beacon Hills had even seen a week later, half the town showing up to celebrate the trio’s birthdays. Stiles spends most of the night fluttering around laughing and talking with everyone until the huge three tier cake, the sections decorated to represent the three of them, is brought out and the three of them huddle around to blow out the candles.

The last month of school seems to fly by, Lydia and Cora coordinating their date nights so they can all still hang out. Stiles starts going to Jungle again with the boys and the queens, getting drunk and dancing to his heart’s content. His talks with Derek are nothing what they use to be, the two of them spending the hour Stiles is in his room going over Stiles’ independent study work and never straying from the topic. It shatters something deep inside Stiles but also leaves him determined to show Derek he’ll keep his promise. Life goes on even if Stiles feels empty and alone most of the time, hides it at best he can till he sees Derek’s smiles or hears him talk and it’s like a thousand knife striking him in the chest.

By the time the last day of school rolls around Stiles couldn’t be more grateful, all his finals are over, the girls and he had put a down payment on a two bedroom apartment near MIT that they were moving into next month, and Derek was no longer his teacher.

Stiles makes his way through the small crowd of students mingling in the hallways and pushes open the door to Derek’s room, hoping for a chance to talk to Derek only to find the room empty. Stiles’ shoulders sag as he enters the room, the book in his hand heavy as he walks slowly over to the vacant desk. Stiles set the copy of Great Expectations he had brought from his library at home in the middle of the desk, trailing his fingers down the worn cover with a small sigh.

“I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.” Stiles quotes in a whisper to the quiet room, letting himself take a moment to say goodbye to the familiar room, his throat feeling tight at the thought of this being the last time he’ll probably step foot in here.

“Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow,” Stiles tells the room, closing his eyes as he lets the memories of the past year wash over him, standing there in silence.

“Hey, you ready to go?” Lydia asks softly from the doorway, Cora standing next to her side.

“Yeah,” Stiles sighs out, inhaling deeply and letting it out slowly as he makes his way out of the room, Lydia taking his hand in her own as they leave.

“Wanna take one last lap around the halls?” Cora questions as she slips her hand into Stiles’ free one.

“Sounds good,” Stiles nods, squeezing both of his best friend’s hands as they slowly make their way down the now deserted hallways, Lydia’s heels echoing down the hall.

“Remember the time Stiles tried to come to school without getting his outfit approved first?” Cora hums with a small smile, Stiles groaning at the memory.

“God, Lyds made me go home and change, I missed most of first period.”

“Remember the day we skipped school to go to the grand opening of the mall in Sacramento?” Lydia asks as she leans into Stiles’ side with a smile.

“You mean when we all got _grounded_?” Stiles snorts fondly, they had walked around the mall for hours going into every store and getting free stuff for being the first 100 customers, only to get grounded the second they got back. “What about the time we broke into the school to go swimming?”

“Good that was fun, they still haven’t fixed the lock,” Cora laughs brightly, the trio turning the corner to head downstairs, Cora’s next words much softer. “Remember the time you two decided I needed a new wardrobe?”

“It seems like forever ago,” Lydia muses, pulling the three of them to a stop at the bottom of the staircase so she could clasp hands with Cora, her eyes serious as she spoke. “It was the best thing I ever let Stiles talk me into,”

“You two are the best friends I could ever ask for,” Cora whispers thickly, her eyes shining as she squeezes their hands tightly.

“We were waiting for you to show up, we didn’t know it at the time but I know we wouldn’t be standing here without you,” Stiles replies, getting choked up seeing Cora and now Lydia so emotional.

“I’m really glad we’re staying together, I can’t imagine going off to college without you two right by my side,” Lydia whispers with a watery smile, happy tears pooling in her eyes.

“You guys are gonna make me cry,” Stiles warns with a sniffle, making both girls laugh wetly.

“I love you guys,” Cora states proudly, all of them smiling stupidly at each other.

“We love you too,” Stiles and Lydia say together, Stiles pulling both girls into a bone-crushing hug. Stiles buries his face in the tangle of hair, his chest warm with affection for these two amazing girls he has the pleasure of calling his best friends. They may be ending their high school careers but there was a long road ahead of them, one they would take together.

“We’ve got the rest of our lives together, this is just the beginning.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Graduation day holds sunny skies and a light heat wave, the graduating class all dressed in their red caps and gowns as they sit in folding chairs on the football field waiting for their names to be called. Lydia and Stiles give their valedictorian speech together having tied for the top stop, taking their seats again as the superintendent starts calling off names. Allison is up first out of their friends, everyone in the stands who had come to see the group graduate clapping loudly as she accepts her diploma from the principal, Cora the next to be called then Isaac, Lydia, Danny, Scott, Stiles, Malia, and finally Kira.

When the principal introduces them to the audience as the graduating class of 2015 they all cheer in excitement, throwing their caps into the air as families and friends rush the field to congratulate them. Stiles dad pulls him into a tight hug the second he sees him, thumping him on the back and telling him how proud he is. Laura comes next, having gotten to Cora first, kissing Stiles on the cheek in pride before moving onto Lydia, Andrew shaking Stiles hand before following after his wife. Stiles hugs all the boys from Devenford in turn, grinning wide as their group comes together for pictures.

Lydia made sure to have them all unzip their robes so their outfits were visible, the redhead having color-coded the trio once again. Stiles in a pair of form-fitting black slacks and a baby blue button down, Lydia in an off the shoulder mini dress the same color and tall black heels, Cora sporting a baby blue blouse and black box pleated skirt.

They take about a million pictures, solo, couples, trios, groups, and of course with their families, everyone grinning from ear to ear.

Once the chaos had died down they all headed over to the Martin house for the trio’s graduation party that they had set up beforehand. They had blue and white streamers and balloons hanging from every surface, a giant sheet cake with a picture of the three of them earlier in the year printed in the middle. A collage table set up with pictures of them throughout the years, each of them having their own board along with a combined one in the middle. A long table was set up for presents and cards, sectioned off for each of them.

“Andy and I are going to help you furnish your new place as our gift to you, I took the weekend off for when you guys move in, thought that would be better than some shitty card,” Laura informs the three an hour into the party.

“That’d be awesome, Jordan, Derek, and my dad are driving out with us to help us settle in too,” Stiles replies with a smile, giddy over the fact that in less than a month the three of them would be officially living together.

“Are you and Jordan…” Laura directs her words at Lydia, raising her eyebrows as she trails off.

“We’re going to try long distance, took me a year to get him, I’m not about to let him slip away just because I’m furthering my education,” Lydia supplies with a determined nod, smiling fondly over at her boyfriend from across the yard.

“I’m glad, with you three sharing a room you’ll only have to worry about Pretty Boy bringing guys over,” Laura teases with a wink in Stiles direction.

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Stiles shrugs, one hand shoved in his pocket while the other held his punch.

“Oh come on, are you seriously not going to try and get laid in college?” Cora questions with a small huff.

“I’m waiting for someone special,” Stiles responds offhandedly, his eyes sweeping around the crowd of people absentmindedly, finding Derek already looking his way.

“Might find them out there,” Laura points out as Jordan, Derek, Isaac, and Andrew make their way over to the group from behind her.

“I won’t,” Stiles promises, Andrew slipping his arms around Laura’s waist from behind as Isaac moves over to Cora, Jordan doing the same to Lydia, each of them planting a kiss on their girlfriend’s cheeks.

“Your mom said something about cutting the cake soon,” Jordan tells the redhead, nodding over to the food table.

“We should get everyone together than,” Lydia hums back, taking Jordan’s hand in her own to make her way over to the crowd, Cora and Isaac following after her. Stiles moves to join them but is stopped with a hand on his bicep.

“Could I borrow you for a minute?” Derek questions sheepishly when Stiles turns his head, letting his hand fall from the boy’s arm.

“Sure,” Stiles nods, swallowing down the small lump forming in his throat from the contact as he follows Derek inside the house.

“I have something for you,” Derek informs as they enter the living room, a neatly wrapped green package sitting on the coffee table. Derek picks it up, coming to stand right in front of Stiles as he holds the gift out for him. “Congratulations,”

“Thanks,” Stiles replies with a hesitant smile, his stomach fluttering as he takes the gift from Derek’s hand, slowly ripping the paper off to reveal a first edition copy of _Great Expectations_.

“So new to him, so old to me; so strange to him, so familiar to me; so melancholy to both of us...” Derek quotes softly as Stiles stares down at the book in his hand, his head snapping up to look into Derek’s eyes, too many emotions swirling around for Stiles to pinpoint one from another.

“Is this...are you-” Stiles questions feverishly, his eyes flickering from the book to Derek’s face and back again.

“That day, when I asked you to pick which one you wanted, I never told you,” Derek replies, his voice thick with emotion as he takes a small step closer to Stiles, his eyes shining with unspoken promises as he runs a gentle finger over the cover of the book. “I’ve always loved the published ending best, too.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

**4 Years Later**

 

 

Stiles drove down the familiar roads of Beacon Hills soaking in every little detail he had missed. College had been an enlightening experience, letting him grow fully into his long limbs and his overacted mind. He had made new friendships over the years, deep-rooted memories that would never leave him. Cora, Lydia, and he had shared the same apartment for all four years, the three of them having grown even closer despite the small bumps in the road along the way. They had visited home a handful of times over the years though they had spent their summer breaks taking extra classes and working part-time jobs or internships to finish their masters early.

Lydia had gotten her degree in mathematics, Jordan and her making long distance work with late night skype calls and Jordan coming to visit whenever he had vacation time. Lydia had come home the week before to interview for a job in San Francisco, securing the position easily while Jordan applied to the SFPD, the two of them finding a place in the city to move in together by the end of the month.

Cora had gone for engineering and was moving to LA in the coming months to find work. Isaac and she had a rocky start trying to make it work while being on different sides of the country, breaking up and getting back together more times than Stiles cares to remember. When Cora had come home for winter break in their last year they had come together once again, making plans to move in together once Cora finished up her internship.

Stiles’ college life had consisted mostly of studying hours on end, working out at the school’s facility, and spending long hours at a research lab for his own internship. He had fooled around with a few guys over the years to blow off steam, never letting it get past a blowjob before he was diving back into his work head first. Stiles had grown in a lot of ways over the past four years, his hair was longer, his body filled out fully, the small layer of baby fat on his cheeks replaced by sharp cheekbones and a strong jaw. Stiles still read whenever he had the chance, keeping his mind sharp and his chest hollow.

Stiles hadn’t come home as much as the girls did, spending his holidays breaks working himself to the bone, the few times he had come back he spent with his dad or friends from high school catching up. Stiles hadn’t seen or talked to Derek in two years, the ache that had started in senior year never leaving him even after years. Stiles still thought of the man often, hearing new from Cora about how he was doing but never making contact himself. Until now.

Stiles drove down the winding road to the Hale house, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as he got closer and closer to his destination.

Stiles had finally come clean to Cora about his feelings for her brother in their sophomore year, apologizing for keeping it from her and for how it influenced their friendship. She had been hurt of course, yelling and screaming at Stiles and Lydia both, asking if it was all just a joke if they were only friends with her because of Derek. It had broken all of their hearts, having their first fight over something Stiles wished he could make right. He had told her how his interest in Derek had prompted the friendship but that Cora was the reason he stayed when things took a turn between Derek and him, he never once thought about ending their friendship, could never. Cora hadn’t talked to them for three weeks after the fight, finally coming around when she found Lydia in tears in their bed crying to Stiles about how much they both missed her.

Things got better after that, the three of them falling back into their routine easily, Cora even questioning Stiles about his plan to woo Derek once they finished college. It had been a rough time for all of them, Stiles already aching heart breaking at the fact he had hurt the girl, made her question their love for her.

Stiles parked his old jeep in the driveway next to Derek’s car, the memories of all the times he spent here before flooding back to him as he turned off the engine, leaning back in his seat as he stared ahead, the front door he used to walk through every day like he too lived there glaring back at him.

Stiles’ nerves started to creep up on him, the doubt and uncertainty of the situation hitting him full force as he slowly got out of the jeep. He had promised Derek his feels wouldn’t change, that even after all these years he would still love him no matter the time or distance between them, but that didn’t mean Derek felt the same.

After Derek had gifted him with his new copy of _Great Expectations_ they had gone their separate ways, only seeing each other in passing as Stiles packed up his life and headed across the country, their last real encounter being the weekend they had moved into their new place and they had been busy buying furniture and unpacking to even talk much.

Now here Stiles was four years later, standing in front of Derek’s front door with his heart waiting inside. Stiles inhaled deeply, his hand shaking as he raised it, rapping his knuckles against the wood three times before taking a few steps back to wait.

After four years of waiting he should have been used to it but the agonizingly long minute it took for Derek to answer the door felt like a lifetime, until there he was, standing right in front of Stiles looking more beautiful than ever.

Derek had let his beard grown out a little, his laugh lines more prominent, his eyes shining behind his black-rimmed glasses. He was wearing a forest green henley and a pair of dark wash jeans, looking at Stiles with such hopeful eyes as he stood in the doorway, one hand on the doorknob.

“I’ve learned that waiting is the most difficult bit, and I want to get used to the feeling, knowing that you’re with me, even when you’re not by my side.” Stiles quotes to him, his voice cracking as he stared into the man’s hazel eyes, letting all the emotions he had tucked away over the years pour into every word.

“ _Eleven Minutes_ ,” Derek smiles shyly, his grip on the door turning his knuckles white. “Waiting is painful, testing and arduous. It makes us restless, but finally, when it rains after months of blazing heat, the feeling is too miraculous to capture in words.”

“ _Canvas of a Mind_ ,” Stiles nods back, his heart lifting as he took a small step towards Derek, his eyes never daring to leave the man.

“I kept my promise, I got my degree, I got some real-life experience, I fucked around with guys that could never compare to you.” Stiles swallows hard, taking another step closer, the distance between them disappearing inch by inch.

“I kept my promise,” Stiles repeats, licking his dry lips as he came to stand right in front of the man. “I’m still in love with you,”

“He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” Derek quotes thickly, reaching a hand out to clasp Stiles’ in it. “I’m still in love with you too.”

Stiles feels tears pricking his eyes, his smile threatening to spit his face as he jumps into Derek’s arms as he had so longed to do, wrapping himself around the man with a small sob, burying his face into his neck as Derek’s arms incase him tightly.

“ _Wuthering Heights_ , God Derek, I-”

“I know, I know, Stiles,” Derek whispers back squeezing his arms as if he scared Stiles might try to pull away. Like Stiles would ever want to, he’s right where he’s meant to be.

“I missed you,” Stiles breathes out, his words muffled by Derek’s neck.

“I missed you too, waited so long for you to come home,” Derek mutters back making Stiles' heart soar.

 _Home_. He was finally home.

“Let’s go inside, I think we have some catching up to do,” Derek says as he pulls back, a blissful smile on his lips as he holds a hand out to Stiles.

“Yeah,” Stiles mutters softly as he takes the outstretched hand, letting Derek lead him into the house, the years apart behind them, the future waiting just beyond the doorway. “Yeah, I think we do,”

 

**I took her hand in mine, and we went out of the ruined place; and, as the morning mists had risen long ago when I first left the forge, so the evening mists were rising now, and in all the broad expanse of tranquil light they showed to me, I saw no shadow of another parting from her. -Charles Dickens, Great Expectations**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's over, I'm pretty sad tbh I loved writing this and was really proud I was able to finish it, I wanna thank everyone who read this and commented, you're the only reason I kept going so this is for all of you! Thank you for the support and if you haven't already check out my other stories :)


End file.
